Abstract Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of recreational noise exposure on auditory closure and binaural processing abilities in individuals with normal hearing. Specifically, it evaluated performance on time-compressed speech tasks (auditory closure) and dichotic listening tasks (binaural integration) to identify subtle auditory processing deficits related to noise exposure. Materials and Methods: Sixty participants aged 18–30 years were recruited and divided into two groups based on their recreational noise exposure: an experimental group ( n = 30) with significant exposure and a control group ( n = 30) with minimal exposure. All participants had normal hearing thresholds confirmed via pure-tone audiometry. Two tests were administered: the time-compressed speech test (for auditory closure) and the dichotic consonant-vowel (DCV) test (for binaural integration). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Mann–Whitney U test. Results: The experimental group showed significantly poorer performance on the time-compressed speech test compared to the control group, indicating reduced auditory closure abilities. In contrast, no significant differences were observed between groups in DCV test scores for the right ear, left ear, or both ears. Conclusions: Recreational noise exposure appears to impair auditory closure, even in individuals with normal audiograms. However, binaural integration, as assessed by the DCV test, remains unaffected. These findings highlight the potential for noise-related changes in specific auditory processing abilities that may not be detected through routine audiological evaluations, underscoring the need for greater awareness and preventive strategies regarding recreational noise exposure.
Ajit et al. (Tue,) studied this question.