At SNR -6, the normal hearing speech understanding percentage is?

At SNR -6, the normal hearing speech understanding percentage is?

• A. 10%
• B. 0%
• C. 5%
• D. 15%

Answer: (A)

Understanding speech in noise depends on the signal-to-noise ratio. When the SNR is negative, the noise is louder than the speech, making it much harder to understand. For normal-hearing listeners, performance at a -6 dB SNR is typically very low but not zero, often around 10% correct in standard speech-in-noise tests. This level reflects how quickly intelligibility falls as the speech signal becomes overwhelmed by noise. So, 10% is the best fit for normal-hearing performance at -6 dB SNR. The other percentages imply either no understanding or higher-than-typical performance that isn’t consistent with the expected decline in intelligibility at this SNR.

Understanding speech in noise depends on the signal-to-noise ratio. When the SNR is negative, the noise is louder than the speech, making it much harder to understand. For normal-hearing listeners, performance at a -6 dB SNR is typically very low but not zero, often around 10% correct in standard speech-in-noise tests. This level reflects how quickly intelligibility falls as the speech signal becomes overwhelmed by noise. So, 10% is the best fit for normal-hearing performance at -6 dB SNR. The other percentages imply either no understanding or higher-than-typical performance that isn’t consistent with the expected decline in intelligibility at this SNR.