Contribution
The Role of Head Rotations in Resolving Externalization Breakdowns in Hearing Aid Use
* Presenting author
Abstract:
Head rotations are an intuitive behavior that aids sound localization, particularly in enhancing front-back discrimination and perceptual externalization. Hearing aid users with behind-the-ear microphones often experience degradation in both of these spatial percepts. If head rotations help resolve this ambiguity, they might also restore externalization when using hearing aids. This study tested this hypothesis by evaluating normal-hearing participants fitted with low-gain hearing aids. Speech stimuli were presented from either a front or back loudspeaker while participants performed a combined front-back discrimination and externalization rating task with or without head rotations. Contrary to expectations, preliminary results suggest that head rotations do not fully restore externalization to unaided levels, implying that additional factors may contribute to externalization breakdowns in hearing aid users, even with active listener movements.