Ilse Wambacq, Ph.D.

The Research

Montclair State University

Neurophysiological and psychoacoustic indices of binaural processing in adults

The overall goal of the proposed research is to investigate neurophysiological and psychoacoustic indices of binaural processing in adults with normal and impaired hearing. In order to develop and implement effective remediation for individuals with sensorineural hearing loss, it is essential to determine a straightforward means to identify binaural processing problems. It is particularly important to ascertain the relationship between neurophysiological and psychoacoustic measures because there are many individuals for whom it is difficult to obtain behavioral responses. In the proposed study we will evaluate the effect of sensorineural hearing loss on processing of interaural intensity differences (IIDs) and determine the relationship between neurophysiological and behavioral measures of sensitivity to IIDs. Results will provide the information necessary to assess binaural processing of IIDs and to develop remediation strategies for individuals with sensorineural hearing loss.