ABA Amplification & Aural Rehabilitation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which hearing aid feature uses multiple microphones to emphasize sounds arriving from the front while attenuating sounds from the sides and rear?
- Compression limiting
- Directional microphone processing (Correct answer)
- Frequency lowering
- Noise floor reduction
Correct answer: Directional microphone processing
Directional microphone processing uses two or more microphones to create a polar pattern that enhances the signal-to-noise ratio for sounds originating in front of the listener.
Question 2: In aural rehabilitation, the term 'auditory closure' refers to:
- The physical sealing of the ear canal by the earmold
- The ability to recognize a complete message despite missing acoustic cues (Correct answer)
- Surgical closure of a perforated tympanic membrane
- The reduction of the auditory dynamic range
Correct answer: The ability to recognize a complete message despite missing acoustic cues
Auditory closure is the perceptual ability to complete or recognize speech even when portions of the signal are degraded, distorted, or absent.
Question 3: A patient reports that their hearing aids whistle when they cup their hand near their ear. The MOST likely cause is:
- Insufficient gain at high frequencies
- Acoustic feedback due to re-amplification of the output signal (Correct answer)
- Excessive low-frequency gain
- A faulty telecoil circuit
Correct answer: Acoustic feedback due to re-amplification of the output signal
Acoustic feedback occurs when amplified sound leaks from the receiver back to the microphone and is re-amplified, producing a high-pitched whistle or squeal.
Question 4: The Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) primarily measures:
- Pure-tone thresholds in older adults
- The self-perceived emotional and social effects of hearing loss (Correct answer)
- Speech recognition scores in noise
- Hearing aid satisfaction ratings
Correct answer: The self-perceived emotional and social effects of hearing loss
The HHIE is a 25-item self-report questionnaire assessing the emotional and social/situational consequences an individual perceives from their hearing impairment.
Question 5: Which compression parameter determines how quickly a hearing aid's gain increases after a loud input signal drops below the compression threshold?
- Attack time
- Release time (Correct answer)
- Compression ratio
- Kneepoint
Correct answer: Release time
Release time (also called recovery time) is the time required for the hearing aid to return to full gain after the input signal drops below the compression threshold.
Question 6: A cochlear implant mapping session in which stimulation levels are adjusted based on the patient's behavioral responses is called:
- Telemetry
- Neural response imaging
- Psychophysical programming (MAPs) (Correct answer)
- Impedance audiometry
Correct answer: Psychophysical programming (MAPs)
Psychophysical programming (creating MAPs) involves measuring threshold (T) and comfortable (C or M) levels for each electrode through behavioral responses to set the dynamic range for the implant.
Question 7: In hearing aid fitting, the 'occlusion effect' most significantly affects which frequency range?
- High frequencies above 4000 Hz
- Mid frequencies around 2000 Hz
- Low frequencies below 500 Hz (Correct answer)
- Ultra-high frequencies above 8000 Hz
Correct answer: Low frequencies below 500 Hz
The occlusion effect amplifies bone-conducted low-frequency sound vibrations trapped in the occluded ear canal, making the user's own voice sound hollow or boomy.
ABA Amplification & Aural Rehabilitation 2
Which hearing aid feature uses multiple microphones to emphasize sounds arriving from the front while attenuating sounds from the sides and rear?