Research Information System
International Pediatric Audiology Congress (IPAC), İstanbul, Turkey, 4 - 06 April 2025, pp.51-91, (Summary Text)
Introduction: Speech processors can be broadly classified into two categories: off-the-ear (OTE) and behind-the-ear (BTE). While the functions of these processors are exactly the same, the location of the external component on the head causes a noticeable variation in the placements of the microphones.
Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of BTE and OTE speech processors on the pitch and melody perception abilities of adolescent cochlear implant users.
Material and methods: A total of 17 adolescents, 9 BTE and 8 OTE users, between the ages of 12–18, who underwent cochlear implantation (CI) at Hacettepe University and were followed up at the audiology department were included in the study. Pitch Direction Discrimination (PDD) and Melodic Contour Identification (MCI) tests were applied to the participants. A quick subjective test measuring the frequency of music listening, the enjoyment of music listening, and understanding of the lyrics was also administered to each participant.
Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of duration of CI use (p = 0.06), but a significant difference was obtained in duration of CI daily use (p = 0.005). There was no statistical difference between the groups in the frequency of listening to music (p = 0.30), enjoyment (p = 0.17) and understanding lyrics (p = 0.73). No significant difference was observed in PDD thresholds between groups (p = 0.16), but a significant difference was obtained in MCI scores (p = 0.01).
Conclusions: Our study shows that processor type may be more important in more difficult tasks. This study particularly emphasizes the importance of speech processor type in terms of melody perception and daily CI use in adolescent CI users.
Keywords: music perception • pitch perception • speech processor