Learning Objectives:

Objective: The advanced technology in cochlear implantation has contributed on improving hearing performance in profound hearing loss patients. However, most CI users (CIs) have difficulties in understanding fast speech. It is thought that the difficulties may be associated to either temporal and/or spectral resolution for CI users (CIs), but uncertainty still remains. In this study, we investigated the differences in sentence recognition between natural fast speech for CIs and normal hearing subjects (NHs). In addition, whether context affects the performance at various speed of speech.

Methods: Our subjects comprised 14 CI subjects and 6 age-matched NHs served as control. As for the experimental stimuli, sentence test materials were natural fast speech to ration of normal (350–400 characters /1minute) and two fast speaking rate (525–600 characters /1minute, 700–800 characters /1minute) with two different types of speech materials, contextual and non-contextual. Furthermore determined the relation with the individual factors such as temporal resolution, syllable intelligibility, age and so on. Natural fast speech was produced by one female talker.

Results and Discussion: Results showed that contextual and non-contextual speech perception scores for both CIs and NHs were declined in accordance with speech rate increased, and this tendency was more significant in CIs than those for the NHs. The differences in sentence recognition between CI individuals were not significant. We have not identified significant correlation between temporal resolution, syllable intelligibility and age.