Table 2.
Mean SSQ item scores and rank correlations between the SSQ item and (1) better-ear average, (2) asymmetry controlling for better-ear average, (3) handicap score, and (4) handicap score controlling for better-ear and worse-ear average; the table is ordered within each of the three subscales from highest to lowest correlation with handicap score
| Rank correlation between the SSQ items and: |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | BEA | Asymmetry controlling BEA | Handicap score | Handicap score controlling BEA and WEA | ||
| Speech-hearing items | ||||||
| Follow one person speaking and telephone at same time | 2.5 | −0.41** | −0.23** | −0.64** | −0.52** | |
| Follow conversations without missing start of new talker | 4.0 | −0.48** | −0.07 | −0.61** | −0.53** | |
| Talk with one person and follow TV | 3.0 | −0.40** | −0.02 | −0.56** | −0.46** | |
| Having conversation with five people in noise with vision | 3.4 | −0.21** | −0.11 | −0.52** | −0.42** | |
| Having conversation with five people in noise—no vision | 2.7 | −0.20* | −0.09 | −0.49** | −0.33** | |
| Ignore interfering voice of different pitch | 5.0 | −0.49** | −0.10 | −0.48** | −0.30** | |
| Ignore interfering voice of same pitch | 4.9 | −0.44** | −0.08 | −0.45** | −0.25** | |
| Talking with one person with TV on | 4.6 | −0.46** | −0.13 | −0.44** | −0.48** | |
| Talking with one person in quiet room | 7.1 | −0.49** | −0.14 | −0.43** | −0.41** | |
| Follow one conversation when many people talking | 4.3 | −0.35** | −0.01 | −0.41** | −0.26** | |
| Having conversation with five people in quiet with vision | 4.5 | −0.27** | −0.04 | −0.41** | −0.37** | |
| Have conversation on telephone | 6.8 | −0.09 | 0.24** | −0.41** | −0.24** | |
| Talking with one person in continuous background noise | 4.6 | −0.52** | −0.06 | −0.37** | −0.14 | |
| Having conversation in echoic environment | 4.0 | −0.48** | −0.05 | −0.32** | −0.15 | |
| Spatial hearing items | ||||||
| Judge distance from footsteps or voice | 4.2 | −0.51** | −0.20* | −0.58** | −0.50** | |
| Identify whether vehicle is approaching or receding | 5.3 | −0.47** | −0.14 | −0.58** | −0.53** | |
| Identify lateral movement from voice or footsteps | 5.0 | −0.48** | −0.18* | −0.56** | −0.45** | |
| Locate speaker round a table | 5.6 | −0.30** | −0.24** | −0.55** | −0.49** | |
| Sounds in expected location | 6.0 | −0.35** | −0.27** | −0.52** | −0.41** | |
| Identify lateral movement of vehicle | 4.8 | −0.51** | −0.05 | −0.50** | −0.41** | |
| Locate dog barking | 6.0 | −0.42** | −0.25** | −0.49** | −0.43** | |
| Locate vehicle from footpath | 4.9 | −0.48** | −0.23** | −0.49** | −0.42** | |
| Judge distance of vehicle | 4.5 | −0.43** | −0.18* | −0.45** | −0.36** | |
| Locate a door slam in unfamiliar house | 6.1 | −0.16* | −0.29** | −0.44** | −0.35** | |
| Identify approach or recede from voice or footsteps | 5.6 | −0.42** | −0.26** | −0.44** | −0.33** | |
| Locate lawnmower | 4.6 | −0.33** | −0.21* | −0.42** | −0.26** | |
| Lateralize a talker to left to right | 7.0 | −0.42** | −0.25** | −0.38** | −0.18* | |
| Sounds further than expected | 7.3 | −0.09 | −0.15 | −0.32** | −0.26** | |
| Locate above or below on stairwell | 5.5 | −0.41** | −0.25** | −0.30** | −0.25** | |
| Sounds closer than expected | 6.1 | −0.03 | −0.19* | −0.23** | −0.15 | |
| Internalization of sounds | 7.5 | −0.14 | −0.03 | 0.03 | −0.01 | |
| Qualities of hearing items | ||||||
| Effort of conversation | 4.0 | −0.31** | −0.25** | −0.56** | −0.45** | |
| Identify different people by voice | 7.8 | −0.30** | −0.07 | −0.53** | −0.59** | |
| Need to concentrate when listening | 3.7 | −0.33** | −0.03 | −0.51** | −0.49** | |
| Music and voice as separate objects | 6.3 | −0.26** | −0.05 | −0.50** | −0.34** | |
| Naturalness of other voices | 6.0 | −0.47** | −0.34** | −0.50** | −0.50** | |
| Understand when car passenger | 5.4 | −0.16 | −0.22** | −0.48** | −0.51** | |
| Judging mood by voice | 7.5 | −0.31** | −0.13 | −0.46** | −0.50** | |
| Clarity of everyday sounds | 6.6 | −0.45** | −0.45** | −0.45** | −0.40** | |
| Distinguish familiar music | 8.3 | −0.32** | −0.04 | −0.42** | −0.44** | |
| Naturalness of everyday sounds | 7.1 | −0.27** | −0.49** | −0.42** | −0.38** | |
| Naturalness of music | 7.2 | −0.30** | −0.15 | −0.40** | −0.20* | |
| Sounds appearing jumbled | 5.9 | −0.39** | −0.29** | −0.39** | −0.23** | |
| Distinguish different sounds | 7.5 | −0.29** | −0.12 | −0.38** | −0.24** | |
| Identify instruments in music | 6.6 | −0.36** | −0.09 | −0.36** | −0.32** | |
| Naturalness of own voice | 7.7 | −0.31** | −0.32** | −0.35** | −0.32** | |
| Understand when driver of a car | 4.6 | −0.11 | 0.14 | −0.35** | 0.43** | |
| Separation of two sounds | 6.6 | −0.23** | −0.23** | −0.34** | −0.30** | |
| Ability to ignore competing sounds | 5.3 | −0.28** | 0.04 | −0.29** | −0.21** | |
**
Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (two-tailed).
*
Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (two-tailed).
BEA, better-ear average; WEA, worse-ear average.