Spatial unmasking and binaural advantage for children with normal hearing, a cochlear implant and a hearing aid, and bilateral implants

Abstract

The aims of this study were to: (1) determine if spatial unmasking existed and differed for children with normal hearing, a hearing aid and a cochlear implant (CIHA), and bilateral implants (BICI); (2) determine if binaural advantage and headshadow effect differed between children with CIHA and BICI. Results indicated that most of the CIHA and BICI children demonstrated spatial unmasking, though to a lesser degree than children with normal hearing. Results also indicated that the children with BICI demonstrated greater headshadow effect than those with CIHA. The CIHA and BICI children also differed in binaural advantage, which could be due to the differences in headshadow effect and in detec..