General

From the chronicles

Are conversations affected by hearing loss?

What happens in a conversation between a younger adult with normal hearing, and an older adult with hearing loss? And what if the conversation is taking place in a relatively easy situation—in a quiet place, and a one-to-one interaction? A research study found that it depends—on whether the older adult is wearing hearing aids. The […]

finger pointing to phrase trying new things

Second chances through cochlear implant technology

There are risks involved in getting a cochlear implant. Inserting a cochlear implant destroys any residual hearing in the operated ear. Thus, one cannot go back to wearing a hearing aid if it doesn’t work out. The standard surgical risks of a cochlear implant are all quite rare. These include bleeding, infection, device malfunction, facial […]

Did you know that whales have earwax?

Guess how long a plug of wax would be from a whale’s ear?! Answer in the Comments of the YouTube video and I will let you know if you are right! Related post: Why you shouldn’t use Q-Tips for itchy ears

Radio as speedometer?

We all need a favourable signal-to-noise ratio to hear well in noise. But did you know that it is particularly important for children? Children don’t hear as well as adults do when there is background noise in the listening environment. In a typical, noisy classroom, the signal-to-noise ratio will vary from + 5 to – 7 […]

You should wear your hearing aids consistently– here is why!

Some fascinating research outlines why it is important to wear hearing aids consistently: In the second half of the experiment, some were able to ride a bicycle! If they had been able to remove the goggles for any length of time during the experiment, the results would not have been the same; the brain […]

Group work in classrooms can be challenging for children

Several research studies have examined the ability to recall a sequence of items in background noise. Noise was particularly impactful when the children were exposed to “irrelevant sound,” especially when the sound had a changing-state characteristic (e.g., background speech, as opposed to steady-state white noise). An example of this in practical terms is the high […]

Beethoven had lead poisoning, leading to hearing loss

Beethoven died from liver and kidney disease at age 56. He expressed a wish that his ailments be studied and shared so “as far as possible at least the world will be reconciled to me after my death.” Analysis of Beethoven’s hair suggests that he had lead poisoning, which may have contributed to ailments he […]

Noisy classrooms may affect the well-being of children

In 2019, a study looked at how noise affected the well-being of children in classrooms. Over three hundred first graders across 10 different schools were involved in the study. Room acoustics of the various classrooms were measured. Questionnaires were given to the students to determine their state of well-being and perceived disturbance by noise. Students […]

Children are more susceptible to noise than adults!

Classrooms can be noisy! Classroom noise levels are expressed as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which compares the level of the signal (teacher’s voice) to the level of noise. A typical, noisy classroom will vary in SNR from + 5 to – 7 dB. Research showed that at 0 dB SNR, adults and older children, when compared […]

The difference between hearing and understanding

There is a difference between hearing and understanding. I can HEAR German. I can’t understand it. In the classroom, when a student appears to understand the teacher even without a remote microphone, it’s usually because there is a lot of context and the teacher has said something predictable (such as the word “Abacadabra!” in the […]