Effects of Training on Recognition of Musical Instruments Presented through Cochlear Implant Simulations

Background: The simulation of the Cl (cochlear implant) signal presents a degraded representation of each musical instrument, which makes recognition difficult. Purpose: To examine the efficiency and effectiveness of three types of training on recognition of musical instruments as presented through simulations of the sounds transmitted through a Cl. Research Design: Participants were randomly assigned to one of three training conditions: repeated exposure, feedback, and direct instruction. Study Sample: Sixty-six adults with normal hearing. Intervention: Each participant completed three training sessions per week, over a five-week time period, in which they listened to the CI simulations of eight different musical instruments. Data Collection and Analysis: Analyses on percent of instruments identified correctly showed statistically significant differences between recognition accuracy of the three training conditions (p<.01). Results: those assigned to the direct instruction group showed the greatest improvement over the five-week training period as well as sustained improvement after training. The feedback group achieved the next highest level of recognition accuracy. The repeated exposure group showed modest improvement during the first three-week time period, but no subsequent improvements. Conclusions: These results indicate that different types of training are differentially effective with regard to improving recognition of musical instruments presented through a degraded signal, which has practical implications for the auditory rehabilitation of persons who use cochlear implants.