Hi, Jennifer,
That's great, thanks for the clarification!
Best,
Robert
Am 01/03/2018 um 18:26 schrieb Elam, Jennifer:
Hi Robert,
Thank you for pointing us to this problem. The HCP Words in Noise
score is indeed the NIH Toolbox Words in Noise (WIN) Test computed
score, rather than the Toolbox Hearing Threshold Test that was
erroneously used for the description in the Data Dictionary. We will
fix the data dictionary with the upcoming data release of the
corrected 7T fMRI data slated to occur within the month.
Here's the full description for the Words in Noise measure from the
NIH Toolbox Interpretation Guide from the 2012 version we used for HCP:
NIH Toolbox Words-in-Noise Test (WIN)Description:
This test measures a person’s ability to recognize single words
presented amid varying levels of background noise. It measures how
much difficulty a person might have hearing in a noisy environment. A
recorded voice instructs the participant to listen to and then repeat
words. The task becomes increasingly difficult as the background noise
gets louder, thus reducing the signal-to-noise ratio. The test is
recommended for participants ages 6-85 and takes approximately six
minutes to administer.
Scoring Process: The examiner scores the participant’s responses as
correct or incorrect, and a total raw score (out of a maximum of 35
points) is calculated by the software for each ear. A percent correct
is calculated, which is then translated into a threshold score for
each ear, in decibels of signal-to-noise ratio (dB S/N), using a
look-up table (see Appendix C). Alternatively, the following equation
can be used to calculate the S/N score based on the raw score, in lieu
of the look-up table. For each ear:WIN_Score = 26-0.8*WIN_NCorrect
Thus, the best score that can be attained (35 correct) for either ear
is -2.0 dB S/N, and the worst score (0correct) is 26.0 dB S/N. Lower
scores, therefore, are indicative of better performance on this test.
In the Toolbox Assessment Scores output file, the score for the better
ear is provided in the Computed Score column.
Interpretation: Assessment of the ability to understand speech in a
noisy background yields an ecologically valid measure of hearing
because a substantial portion of communication in the real world
occurs in less-than-ideal environments. Moreover, speech perception in
noise is often difficult to predict from pure-tone thresholds or from
speech perception in quiet settings. The NIH Toolbox version of the
Words-in-Noise Test is newly released, so the interpretive guidelines
provided are preliminary and may need further adjustment as future
studies are conducted.As noted above, the range of possible scores for
each ear is -2.0 to 26.0 dB S/N, with lower scores indicative of
better performance and, conversely, higher scores potentially
suggestive of hearing difficulties. For score interpretation with ages
13 and above, a cutoff of 10 dB S/N is recommended for the Toolbox
version of this measure. Participants with a score higher than this
cutoff should follow up with a hearing professional, specifically an
otolaryngologist, who would then refer to an audiologist as needed.
Users should note that the cutoff suggested here is slightly higher
than other published versions of this test because other versions were
conducted in quieter environments.
Again, sorry for the oversight. Let me know if you have further questions.
Best,
Jenn
Jennifer Elam, Ph.D.
Scientific Outreach, Human Connectome Project
Washington University School of Medicine
Department of Neuroscience, Box 8108
660 South Euclid Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110
314-362-9387
e...@wustl.edu<mailto:e...@wustl.edu>
www.humanconnectome.org<http://www.humanconnectome.org/>
*From:* hcp-users-boun...@humanconnectome.org
on behalf of Robert Becker
*Sent:* Thursday, March 1, 2018 8:41:06 AM
*To:* hcp-users@humanconnectome.org
*Subject:* [HCP-Users] Correct interpretation of NIH battery test
'Words-in-Noise' in HCP subjects
Dear all,
we have trouble understanding what the above test actually tests in
the context of HCP data. Despite its suggestive name, this test is
described (in the updated HCP Data Dictionary and its previous
version), as a pure-tone thresholding test that seems to have nothing
to do with understanding words embedded in noise or any similar scenario.
The description in the Data Dictionary is pretty clear and excludes
any such interpretation, it is just that the naming seems confusing
and also, there actually is a NIH toolbox test called
'"Words-in-Noise" that does test how subjects comprehend one-syllable
words.
Can anyone comment on the exact nature of this test and help us out?
Thanks for your help!
Robert
--
Robert Becker, PhD
Universität Zürich
Psychologisches Institut
Binzmühlestrasse 14
8050 Zürich
Tel: +41
