Battery guide
Listening and Auditory Processing Battery guide
Three listening tasks for auditory processing research: spoken digits in noise, short gaps in sound and small differences in pitch.
- Guide version
- 1.2.0
- Battery version
- 1.0.0
What it measures
Who it is for: Listening and auditory processing research.
It measures Speech perception in noise, Auditory temporal resolution and Pitch discrimination.
Attention: Keeping attention on a task and picking out what matters.
Processing speed: How quickly people take in information and respond.
Scores describe how a person performs on these tasks. Research use only.
Tests in order
The tests run in this order. A study started from the battery keeps the order and the settings.
1. Digits-in-Noise Task. Measures how well people make out spoken digits in steady noise. Through headphones, a synthetic voice says three digits in noise shaped like speech, at seven fixed ratios of speech to noise, and participants type or tap the three digits. The main score is the share of triplets with all three digits right.
2. Gap Detection Task. Measures how short a silence people can hear. Participants hear two bursts of noise and choose the one with a brief silent gap, at eight gap lengths from 1 to 16 ms. The main score is the gap threshold, the gap at which 75 percent of answers are right.
3. Pitch Discrimination Task. Measures pitch discrimination: how small a difference in pitch a person can hear between two tones. Each trial plays two short tones through headphones, a 1,000 Hz standard and a comparison above or below it by a fixed step of 3 to 200 cents, and participants choose the higher one. The score is the frequency difference limen, the step at which 75 percent of answers are right. Needs headphones and normal hearing; results are research measures, not a hearing test.
| Order | Test | Domain | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Digits-in-Noise Task | Attention | 9 to 12 minutes |
| 2 | Gap Detection Task | Processing speed | 6 to 9 minutes |
| 3 | Pitch Discrimination Task | Attention | 8 to 10 minutes |
Time and devices
Allow about 31 minutes for the whole battery. The table gives each test's time.
Participants can use a desktop or laptop, tablet or phone.
On a desktop or laptop the screen must be at least 1024 by 700 pixels.
A tablet or phone needs a screen of at least 360 by 640 pixels.
On phones and tablets, each test is compared only with sessions on the same kind of device. A test shows a percentile there once that reference group holds 50 valid sessions in the participant's age band; until then the report shows raw scores and says so.
Some tests play sound, so participants need headphones.
Participants need Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.
| Test | Timing | Devices |
|---|---|---|
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Untimed | Desktop or laptop, tablet or phone |
| Gap Detection Task | Untimed | Desktop or laptop, tablet or phone |
| Pitch Discrimination Task | Untimed | Desktop or laptop, tablet or phone |
Languages
Runs in all eight participant languages.
How to give it
Start a study from the battery in the app. The tests, their order and their settings are already set and stay fixed. If you change, reorder or customize a test, the study becomes a custom study and no longer carries the battery.
Each test opens with its instructions. Participants see these:
Digits-in-Noise Task: Put on headphones. On each trial, press Play to hear three digits in noise, then type or tap the three digits in the order you heard them, and press Done. If you are not sure, guess.
Gap Detection Task: Put on headphones. On each trial, press Play to hear two bursts of noise. One has a very short silent gap in the middle. Choose First or Second for the one with the gap. If you are not sure, take your best guess.
Pitch Discrimination Task: Press Play to hear two tones, one after the other, then choose the one that was higher: First or Second.
| Step | Before you invite participants |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ask participants to wear headphones and take the battery in a quiet room. |
| 2 | Ask participants to set a comfortable volume before the first task and keep it for the whole battery. |
| 3 | Pilot the battery yourself with the kind of headphones your participants will use. |
How each test is scored
The server scores each test when the participant finishes it. The primary score is the one the app compares with a norm. The other scores are reported with it.
Every result records its scoring version. For this battery they are Digits-in-Noise Task 1.0.0, Gap Detection Task 1.0.0 and Pitch Discrimination Task 1.0.0.
| Test | Score | What it is | Better |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Triplets Right (proportion, primary) | Share of the triplets with all three digits right in their places, over all the steps played. | Higher means more triplets were made out in the noise |
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Triplets Right by Step (proportion) | Share of triplets right at each ratio of speech to noise, keyed by the ratio in dB. | Rises with the ratio |
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Digits Right (proportion) | Share of the digits right in their places, over all the steps. | Higher means more digits were made out; guessing gives about 0.1 |
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Ratio for Half the Triplets (dB) | Ratio of speech to noise at which a cumulative Gaussian fitted to the triplets right at each step gives half the triplets right. | Lower means fewer digits were needed above the noise; empty outside -18 to 0 dB |
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Slope at Half | Slope of the fitted curve at that point, in percentage points per dB. | Informational |
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Median Answer Time (ms) | Median time from when the keypad opened, after the digits, to Done. | Informational; the answer has no time limit |
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Anticipations | Answers whose first digit came within 100 ms of the keypad opening, which leave the scores. | Half or more of the answers makes the session invalid |
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Completed Trials (trials) | Triplets answered in the scored run. | Fewer than planned is flagged for review |
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Planned Trials (trials) | Triplets the run set out to play. | Informational |
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Headphone Check Passed (0/1) | 1 when the headphone check passed (at least 5 of 6 right), 0 when it did not. | 0 stops the test unless the study set it to continue |
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Headphone Check Correct | Headphone check trials answered right, of 6. | 5 or 6 passes |
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Reported Output Delay (ms) | Output delay the device reported to the browser; empty when the browser does not report it. | Informational |
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Sentences Right (proportion) | With the sentences setting: share of the sentences whose three key words were all chosen from the nine offered, in any order, over all the steps played. | Higher means more sentences were made out in the noise |
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Sentences Right by Step (proportion) | With the sentences setting: share of sentences right at each ratio of speech to noise, keyed by the ratio in dB. | Rises with the ratio |
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Key Words Chosen (proportion) | With the sentences setting: share of the key words chosen, over all the steps. | Higher means more words were made out; choosing one word of each kind at random gives about a third |
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Ratio for Half the Sentences (dB) | With the sentences setting: ratio of speech to noise at which a cumulative Gaussian fitted to the sentences right at each step gives half the sentences right. | Lower means less speech was needed above the noise; empty outside -15 to 3 dB |
| Digits-in-Noise Task | Sentence Slope at Half | With the sentences setting: slope of the fitted curve at that point, in percentage points per dB. | Informational |
| Gap Detection Task | Gap Threshold (ms, primary) | Gap at which the fitted Weibull function reaches 75 percent right. | Lower means a shorter gap was heard |
| Gap Detection Task | Psychometric Slope | Slope of the fitted Weibull function. | Higher means accuracy rose more steeply with the gap |
| Gap Detection Task | Lapse Rate (proportion) | Fitted share of errors on gaps long enough to hear. | Lower means fewer lapses |
| Gap Detection Task | Accuracy (proportion) | Share of usable answers that named the burst with the gap. | Higher is better; guessing gives 0.5 |
| Gap Detection Task | Accuracy by Gap (proportion) | Share right at each gap, keyed by the gap in ms. | Rises with the gap |
| Gap Detection Task | Accuracy, Gap in the First Burst (proportion) | Share right when the gap was in the first burst. | Informational |
| Gap Detection Task | Accuracy, Gap in the Second Burst (proportion) | Share right when the gap was in the second burst. | Informational |
| Gap Detection Task | First Burst Answers (proportion) | Share of usable answers that named the first burst. | 0.5 means no lean toward either burst |
| Gap Detection Task | Median Answer Time (ms) | Median time from when the answers opened, after both bursts, to the answer. | Informational; the answer has no time limit |
| Gap Detection Task | Anticipations | Answers within 100 ms of the answers opening, which leave the score. | Half or more of the answers makes the session invalid |
| Gap Detection Task | Completed Trials (trials) | Trials answered in the scored run. | Fewer than planned is flagged for review |
| Gap Detection Task | Planned Trials (trials) | Trials the run set out to play. | Informational |
| Gap Detection Task | Headphone Check Passed (0/1) | 1 when the headphone check passed (at least 5 of 6 right), 0 when it did not. | 0 stops the test unless the study set it to continue |
| Gap Detection Task | Headphone Check Correct | Headphone check trials answered right, of 6. | 5 or 6 passes |
| Gap Detection Task | Reported Output Delay (ms) | Output delay the device reported to the browser; empty when the browser does not report it. | Informational |
| Pitch Discrimination Task | Frequency Difference Limen (cents, primary) | Difference between the two tones, in cents, at which the fitted Weibull function reaches 75 percent right. | Lower means a smaller difference was heard |
| Pitch Discrimination Task | Frequency Difference Limen in Hz (Hz) | The same limen as a difference above the 1,000 Hz standard. | Lower means a smaller difference was heard |
| Pitch Discrimination Task | Psychometric Slope | Slope of the fitted Weibull function. | Higher means accuracy rose more steeply with the step |
| Pitch Discrimination Task | Lapse Rate (proportion) | Fitted share of errors on steps large enough to hear. | Lower means fewer lapses |
| Pitch Discrimination Task | Accuracy (proportion) | Share of usable answers that named the higher tone. | Higher is better; guessing gives 0.5 |
| Pitch Discrimination Task | Accuracy by Step (proportion) | Share right at each step, keyed by the step in cents. | Rises with the step |
| Pitch Discrimination Task | First Tone Answers (proportion) | Share of usable answers that named the first tone. | 0.5 means no lean toward either tone |
| Pitch Discrimination Task | Accuracy, Higher Tone First (proportion) | Share right when the higher tone came first. | Informational |
| Pitch Discrimination Task | Accuracy, Higher Tone Second (proportion) | Share right when the higher tone came second. | Informational |
| Pitch Discrimination Task | Median Answer Time (ms) | Median time from the answer buttons turning on, once the second tone has played, to the answer. | Informational; the answer has no time limit |
| Pitch Discrimination Task | Anticipations | Answers within 100 ms of the answer buttons turning on, which leave the score. | At least half the answers that fast is invalid |
| Pitch Discrimination Task | Completed Trials (trials) | Trials answered in the scored run. | Fewer than planned is flagged for review |
| Pitch Discrimination Task | Planned Trials (trials) | Trials the run set out to play. | Informational |
| Pitch Discrimination Task | Headphone Check Passed (0/1) | 1 when the headphone check before the test passed: at least 5 of its 6 answers right. | 0 is flagged; a failed check that stopped the test leaves no scores |
| Pitch Discrimination Task | Sound Output Delay (ms) | The output delay the device reported for its sound, saved once per session; empty when the browser does not report it. | Informational; answers are untimed |
Session quality rules
The app checks every session when it scores it and records one of four states.
An Invalid session stays in the study's results, labelled with its reason, and does not count toward norms.
A session can carry warnings and still be valid. The results list the warnings next to the scores.
| State | What it means |
|---|---|
| Norm-ready | The session passed every check and a norm exists for it, so the app can show a percentile. |
| Raw-only | The scores are usable, but the app shows no percentile. Typical reasons are no norm for the test, changed settings, or a warning that makes a comparison unfair, such as a restart or a screen too short for the display. |
| Invalid technical | The setup broke the timing or the task. Examples are leaving full screen, a browser tab that lost focus during a timed test, and long pauses. |
| Invalid behavioral | The responses suggest the task was not done as asked. Examples are a failed attention check, repeated switching away from the task, and accuracy at or below chance on a choice task. |
Published norms used
No published norm is used for any test in this battery.
ConductCognition also builds norms from its own participants. An age band of a test uses them once it holds at least 50 valid sessions on the same device and input type, run with standard settings and scored with the current scoring version. Sessions from paying customers' studies and from clinical or patient samples do not count.
A report shows a percentile only when the app has stored one for that session. Otherwise it shows the raw scores.
Every reference group covers ages 18 and over. No reference group covers a participant under 18, so their report shows raw scores only, and their sessions do not count toward norms.
How to cite
ConductScience, Inc. Listening and Auditory Processing Battery guide, version 1.2.0. ConductCognition. https://conductcognition.com/batteries/auditory-processing/guide
Cite the guide version you used. Name the battery version (1.0.0) and the scoring versions listed in this guide.