Amplification/Sensory Systems – Audiology Chapter 14

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A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, components, technologies, procedures, and devices related to hearing aids and implantable auditory systems presented in Chapter 14.

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57 Terms

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Hearing Aid (HA)

An electronic device that collects, amplifies, and delivers sound to help individuals with hearing loss communicate more effectively.

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Microphone (HA Component)

Input component that converts acoustic sound waves into an electrical signal inside a hearing aid.

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Amplifier (HA Component)

Circuitry that increases the strength of the electrical signal before it is delivered to the ear.

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Receiver (HA Component)

Output transducer that converts the amplified electrical signal back into acoustic energy (sound).

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Analog Hearing Aid

Older signal-processing technology that creates an electrical waveform analogous to the incoming sound; limited, largely fixed frequency response adjusted with manual controls.

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Digital Hearing Aid

Device that converts sound into binary digits, allowing precise computer programming, multiple memories, noise reduction, and high-speed signal manipulation.

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Acoustic Gain

The increase in sound level (in dB) provided by a hearing aid; calculated as output level minus input level.

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Frequency Response

The specific range of frequencies a hearing aid can amplify, limited mainly by the microphone, receiver, and earmold design.

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Feedback (Hearing Aid)

Whistling or squealing sound that occurs when amplified output leaks back into the microphone and is re-amplified.

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Directionality

Microphone feature that reduces sounds from certain directions to improve the signal-to-noise ratio for the listener.

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Compression (Output Limiting)

Automatic gain-reduction circuitry that prevents loud sounds from exceeding the patient’s dynamic range or discomfort level.

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High-Frequency Average (HFA)

Average acoustic gain measured at 1000, 1600, and 2500 Hz used in hearing-aid specification.

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Directional Microphone

Microphone system designed to suppress sounds from specific directions, improving speech understanding in noise.

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Telecoil (Audiocoil)

Electromagnetic coil that picks up magnetic fields from telephones or loop systems, bypassing the microphone for clearer input.

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Bluetooth Connectivity

Wireless protocol that links hearing aids to phones, computers, and accessories for audio streaming and remote control.

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Output Sound-Pressure Level (OSPL)

Maximum sound level a hearing aid can produce regardless of input; also called saturation SPL or maximum power output (MPO).

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Distortion (General)

Any alteration between input and output signals that degrades sound quality in a hearing aid.

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Frequency Distortion

Change in the spectral content of a signal after amplification compared with the original sound.

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Amplitude Distortion

Unequal changes in the amplitudes of different parts of the signal during amplification.

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Harmonic Distortion

Percentage of unwanted harmonics generated by the hearing aid relative to the input signal.

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Behind-the-Ear (BTE) Hearing Aid

Device that sits behind the pinna and delivers sound through tubing and an earmold; appropriate for mild-to-profound losses and common in children.

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Receiver-in-the-Canal (RIC) Hearing Aid

Miniature BTE where the receiver sits in the ear canal attached by a wire; suitable for mild-to-moderate loss and now the most widely fit style.

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In-the-Ear (ITE) Hearing Aid

Custom device filling the concha and ear canal with circuitry in the shell; fits mild-to-severe losses.

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In-the-Canal (ITC) Hearing Aid

Smaller custom instrument that sits mainly in the ear canal; power is limited by size but can fit mild-to-severe loss with feedback suppression.

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Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC) Hearing Aid

Device recessed deep in the canal; cosmetically appealing for mild-to-moderate loss but has tiny batteries and fewer connectivity options.

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Invisible-in-the-Canal (IIC) Hearing Aid

Smallest custom style that fits very deep in the canal, offering similar pros and cons as CIC devices.

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Light-Driven Hearing Aid

Non-acoustic RIC-style device that converts processed sound into pulses of light that vibrate a tympanic-membrane transducer; provides high gain before feedback for mild-to-moderate loss.

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Earmold

Custom or stock coupling inserted in the ear that channels sound from a BTE; tubing and venting affect acoustic characteristics.

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Bilateral/Binaural Amplification

Use of two hearing aids for symmetrical loss, restoring more natural hearing, better localization, and improved speech-in-noise performance.

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Binaural Summation

Perceptual loudness and clarity enhancement achieved when both ears receive the same auditory signal.

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Auditory Deprivation

Potential reduction in word-recognition ability that can occur in an unaided ear when only the opposite ear is amplified.

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CROS Hearing Aid

Contralateral Routing of Off-Side Signal system that transmits sound from an unaidable ear to a normal-hearing ear.

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BiCROS Hearing Aid

Similar to CROS but the better ear also has hearing loss and receives both routed and amplified local sound.

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Bone-Conduction Hearing Aid

External device that vibrates the mastoid to bypass outer/middle ear pathologies; useful for conductive losses or canal anomalies.

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Electroacoustic Analysis

Test-box procedure measuring hearing-aid output characteristics (gain, OSPL, distortion, frequency response) against standards.

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Real Ear Measures

Probe-microphone measurements of amplification within a patient’s ear canal to verify audibility and safe output levels.

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Probe Microphone Measurement

Assessment using a slender tube placed near the eardrum to record in-situ hearing-aid performance.

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Sound-Field Speech-Recognition Test

Evaluation of aided speech understanding using loudspeakers in a booth to assess real-world benefit.

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Validation (Hearing Aid)

Process of confirming the patient’s perceived benefit, typically with questionnaires and self-report scales.

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Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (MAIS)

Parent-report tool assessing how a child with profound loss uses amplification or a cochlear implant in daily life.

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Early Speech Perception (ESP) Test

Assessment of speech perception abilities in children as young as three with profound deafness, used to gauge aid or implant benefit.

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Lexical Neighborhood Test (LNT)

Open-set word-recognition test of common vocabulary used to measure pediatric cochlear-implant or hearing-aid outcomes.

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Carhart’s Goals for HA Selection

Four objectives: restore audibility of faint sounds, clarity in quiet and noise, and avoid over-amplification of intense sounds.

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Over-the-Counter (OTC) Hearing Aid

FDA-regulated device sold directly to adults with perceived mild-to-moderate loss without a professional fitting.

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Cochlear Implant

Surgically implanted device that electrically stimulates the auditory nerve via an electrode array in the cochlea, bypassing damaged hair cells.

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Implantable Bone-Conduction Device

Titanium fixture in the mastoid coupled to an external processor that sends vibrations through bone directly to the inner ear.

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Middle-Ear Implant

Partly implanted system that mechanically drives the ossicles, eliminating occlusion and acoustic feedback for adults 18+ years.

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Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI)

Device that bypasses the cochlea and cochlear nerve to stimulate the cochlear nuclei, used for patients lacking an auditory nerve.

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Mapping (CI Programming)

Regular adjustment of a cochlear implant’s speech processor settings by an audiologist to optimize sound perception.

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Hearing Assistance Technology (HAT)

Broad category of devices (also called ALDs) that augment or replace hearing-aid benefit, such as TV streamers, alerting devices, or phone amplifiers.

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Assistive Listening Device (ALD)

Portable system—often infrared, FM/DM, or Bluetooth—that improves the listener’s access to desired sound sources.

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Remote Sound Transmission

Technique of sending a speaker’s voice directly to the listener’s hearing system via FM, infrared, or induction loop to overcome distance and noise.

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Personal FM/DM System

Teacher-worn microphone transmits a radio or digital signal directly to a student’s hearing aids or receiver, enhancing classroom SNR.

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Classroom Audio Distribution (CAD)

Soundfield system that sends the teacher’s microphone signal to loudspeakers placed around the classroom for group benefit.

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Electromagnetic Loop System

Wire loop installed around a room that transmits audio via magnetic field; picked up by telecoils in hearing aids, nearly eliminating background noise.

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Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR)

Comparison of desired signal level to background noise level; higher SNR improves speech intelligibility for hearing-aid users.

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Dynamic Range (Hearing)

Span in dB between a person’s thresholds of audibility and loudness discomfort; guides appropriate amplification targets.