Effects of Time Gating and Word Length on Isolated Word-Recognition Performance

This study examined the effects of forward time gating and word length on monosyllabic isolated word-recognition performance. Fifty (60-ms) time-gated words were developed from a pre-recorded version (Auditec of St. Louis) of the Northwestern Auditory Test No. 6 (NU-6) List 1, Form A. A total of 358 time-gated items were presented monaurally at 80 db SPL, and time-gated word identification, isolation point, acceptance point, and listener confidence measures were obtained from 20 normally hearing listeners. A comparison of conventional nontime-gated word-recognition scores obtained using the NU-6 List 4, Form C with the time-gated measures revealed that, even upon word offset, listeners recognized time-gated words less frequently and with less confidence. The time-gated findings also demonstrated that word length, based on word duration from onset to offset, significantly influenced real-time recognition performance.