Musical scene analysis study: Earn a fiver doing some hearing tests

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I have no connection to this study. I received the link from someone and have just completed it.

 

I thought that some people here on basschat might be interested in taking part - it takes around half an hour.

 

You will need to use a computer rather than a phone or tablet, along with headphones. For payment you will need your account's IBAN number.

 

https://musicandhearingaids.org/2022/02/24/musical-scene-analysis-study/

 

*** Participate in a new study on musical scene analysis ***

 

The Hearing Aids for Music project highlighted that people with hearing loss often experience difficulties identifying instruments and hearing melodies when listening to music. Those with greater levels of hearing loss tend to experience greater difficulties.

 

A new study led by the University of Oldenburg, in collaboration with the University of Leeds, is investigating the ability of people with hearing loss to hear out a melody or instrument from a musical mixture. Participants will engage in listening experiments which will help researchers to establish under what conditions they are more likely to be able to do this. Results will inform current understanding of the effects of hearing loss on music perception and enable further development of existing hearing aids for listening to music.

 

What will be required of me if I take part?

 

If you would like to take part, you will be asked to engage in a listening experiment which has three parts.

 

First, in a pre-test, you will engage in short trials to test whether you can detect a tone in noise.

 

Second, you will decide whether a single target instrument, which was played to you in advance, is part of a subsequently presented instrument mixture or not. The mixture is manipulated in various ways (for example, the number of instruments is varied, or the loudness of the target instrument compared with the other instruments is changed).

 

Third, you will be asked to complete a survey on previous musical experience, level of hearing loss and demographic data (age, gender, education).

 

The whole experimental session will last approx. 30 minutes and you will be paid for your time at a rate of 12 EUROS/£10 per hour. To take part, you need be in a quiet environment, ideally wearing headphones without your hearing aids, but if you need to use your hearing aids (e.g. direct streaming) we ask that you tell us at the end of the survey what set-up you were using.

 

You can read information about the study and access the listening experiment here. You will be provided with further information about what the experiment will entail and what we will do with your data in the introductory pages, enabling you to give informed consent.

 

If you have any questions about the study, please contact Robin Hake ([email protected]) or Alinka Greasley ([email protected])

 

The project has received ethical clearance from the University of Oldenburg and the University of Leeds (Ref No. FAHC 21-030)

Edited March 16, 2022 by Jean-Luc Pickguard