Age
The age menu item is a toggle that provides a choice of age ranges for the
patient. This information is necessary to score the results and provide an SNR
loss calculation. The age range is automatically set if the patient date of birth has
been entered in the demographic information. If the date of birth has not been
entered, toggle the age button to choose the appropriate age range. The age
selection corresponds to the BKB-SIN test norms.
Group
The Group menu item acts as a toggle to indicate the ‘group’ for the testing. In
the BKB-SIN test, up to 2 groups may be used to compare different conditions.
Such comparisons might be used to demonstrate the benefits of amplification
(unaided vs. aided) or assess directional microphone performance (no directional
mic vs. directional mic). The BKB-SIN Test is a flexible tool that may be
applied clinically in a variety of ways by adjusting the presentation level or the
presentation mode.
Test Procedure- BKB-SIN
For a detailed description of the BKB-SIN test the user is referred to the BKB-
SIN manual provided on the Pello USB flash drive. The BKB-SIN Test uses the
Bamford-Kowal-Bench sentences (Bench and Bamford, 1979; Bench, Kowal and
Bamford, 1979) spoken by a male talker in four-talker babble (Auditec of St.
Louis, 1971). The QuickSIN™ Test (Etymotic Research, 2001; Killion et al.,
2004) was designed to provide a quick estimate of SNR Loss and is appropriate
for use with most adults. The sentences used in the QuickSIN are at
approximately a high school language level, making the test too difficult for use
with young children. The BKB-SIN test was developed as speech-in-noise test
that could be used as part of the test protocol for a binaural cochlear implant
study on adults and children. The BKB-SIN Test is a flexible tool that can be
applied clinically in a variety of ways.
BKB-SIN Methodology
The BKB-SIN contains 18 List Pairs. Each List Pair
consists of two lists of eight
to ten sentences each. The first sentence in each list has four key words, and the
remaining sentences each have three. A verbal “ready” cue precedes each
sentence. The key words in each sentence are scored as correct or incorrect. The
sentences are presented at prerecorded signal-to-noise ratios that decrease in 3-
dB steps.
Presentation Level
The choice of presentation level depends on the purpose of testing. For standard
SNR Loss testing the BKB-SIN Test should be presented at a relatively high
level (loud, but below discomfort). Normative data on normal-hearing adults and
normal-hearing children were collected using binaural presentation via insert
earphones, at a presentation level of 70 dB HL (83 dB SPL). Normative data on
adult cochlear implant users were collected using a 65 dB SPL presentation level
in sound field (equivalent to 50 dB HL at 0 degrees azimuth).