Computerized speech
testing environment
Waikong Lai
University Hospital, Zürich, Switzerland
November 2000
Why computerize ?
• Digitized test material
— reproducible presentations between sessions
— randomising test lists to reduce learning effects
• Portability across test locations
• Results automatically saved
• Stored data easily analyzed for Information
Transmission
• Import into spreadsheet programs (eg. Excel) for
plotting - requires custom macros
MACarena
• MAC (Minimal Auditory Capability) test battery
• A single environment (arena) to perform different
speech tests
• Custom software developed here at the ORL
Clinic, University Hospital, Zürich
• Provides a flexible format for creating and
implementing new tests and test material
• Can be easily configured for test material in
different languages
Designing the User Interface 1
• Closed Set tests use buttons to display response
items to choose from
— number of buttons can be variable
Closed Set Tests
Yes-No Task : 2 buttons
Identification Tasks :
3 or more buttons
Designing the User Interface 2
• Open Set tests use text field(s) to enter subject’s
response(s)
— word tests : one text field only
— sentence tests : one text field for each word
Open Set Tests
Words : 1 text field
Sentences : >1 text fields
Test descriptions
• For each test, need to describe
— open or closed set test
— words or sentences
• For each presentation, need to describe
— number of response alternatives
— the choice of response items (if >1)
— the correct response
— the corresponding Sound file to present
• These descriptions stored in Script files
Script Files
• The Script files for each test therefore describe
— Test Name
— Test format (open set or closed set)
— List of response choices for each presentation
— Correct response for each presentation
— Corresponding Sound files to present
• Also need to define number of repetitions of test
set desired
Additional test information
• Apart from test results, additional information is
also needed, such as
— Subject ID
— Hearing conditions (Left / right / both ears)
— Hearing Device used
— Test date
MAC German Test Material
• Yes-No tasks
— Male-Female speaker identification
• Closed set words
— VO8 Vowel Logatomes - da/di/do
— C12 Consonant Logatomes - aba/ada/aga
— Reim Tests VM1, VM2, CA1, CE1, CA2, CM2, CE2
• Open set words
— Two digit numbers
— Freiburg monosyllables
• Open set sentences
— Innsbruck sentences
— Göttingen sentences
— Oldenburg sentences
Main Screen
Subject info and Test conditions
Test Selection via DropDown Box
Start Test
Training Mode
Yes-No Task: eg. Male-Female Speaker Identification
Stop test
Screen displays sentence being spoken
Order of buttons randomized
Select one response: Male or female
Closed Set Words: eg. VO8 logatomes
Stop test
Select a response
Order of buttons randomized
Open Set Words: eg. Freiburg monosyllables
Stop test
Response prompt
Subject either types in response or
Subject says response out loud and tester types in response
Open Set Sentences: eg. Oldenburg sentences
Subject repeats what he/she has heard
Stop test
Sentence presented
Tester clicks on fields answered correctly
Tests with multiple lists
With test material consisting of more
than one list, MACarena allows
selection of test list before test begins
Adaptive testing in noise
MACarena also supports adaptive testing of sentences in noise
Adaptive testing in noise
Speech level is kept constant while accompanying
noise is varied to give different SNR’s
With our own equipment (Cabin 6), SNR for
each presentation is automatically changed
according to given response
Otherwise, MACarena indicates which SNR level
should be used for the next presentation
Conclusions
• MACarena provides a single test environment for
conducting a large range of speech tests
• Can be easily adapted to new test material,
particularly in different languages but will require
digitized test material
• Useful for multicentric studies which require a
uniform test setup across centres