# PWR-075 — Speech-in-noise understanding: learner worksheet Release: Revision 7T · Full Tutorial Edition Estimated time: Estimated 28 min reading and worksheet pass Difficulty: Intermediate Equipment: Common household or practice equipment — An exact 20-sentence corpus with five keyed words each. Set A: A1 ‘The red kite crossed the quiet lake’ [red,kite,crossed,quiet,lake]; A2 ‘Mina placed seven blue cups beside the window’ [Mina,seven,blue,cups,window]; A3 ‘A small dog waited under the wooden bridge’ [small,dog,waited,wooden,bridge]; A4 ‘The baker carried warm bread to the market’ [baker,carried,warm,bread,market]; A5 ‘Three green buses left before the heavy rain’ [three,green,buses,left,rain]; A6 ‘Jon found the silver key behind the sofa’ [Jon,silver,key,behind,sofa]; A7 ‘The nurse packed clean towels in the yellow bag’ [nurse,clean,towels,yellow,bag]; A8 ‘Two white boats passed the old lighthouse’ [two,white,boats,old,lighthouse]; A9 ‘Sara sent the final letter on Monday morning’ [Sara,final,letter,Monday,morning]; A10 ‘The tall tree shaded the stone garden path’ [tall,tree,shaded,stone,path]. Set B: B1 ‘The black cat watched three birds near the fence’ [black,cat,three,birds,fence]; B2 ‘Omar moved the round table into the kitchen’ [Omar,round,table,into,kitchen]; B3 ‘Four red trains crossed the narrow valley’ [four,red,trains,narrow,valley]; B4 ‘Lena stored the glass jar above the sink’ [Lena,glass,jar,above,sink]; B5 ‘The young farmer closed the gate before sunset’ [young,farmer,closed,gate,sunset]; B6 ‘Maya chose a purple scarf for the concert’ [Maya,purple,scarf,for,concert]; B7 ‘Six grey stones lined the river bank’ [six,grey,stones,river,bank]; B8 ‘The driver left the empty box near reception’ [driver,empty,box,near,reception]; B9 ‘Noah wrote the short answer with a pencil’ [Noah,short,answer,with,pencil]; B10 ‘The bright moon lit the snowy field’ [bright,moon,lit,snowy,field].; A helper creates the clips in one audio editor using the same synthetic voice, speaking rate and mono pink-noise track. Normalise all voice clips to the same RMS level, mix the continuous pink noise 6 dB below that voice level, add 250 ms noise before and after each sentence, export under neutral A1–A10/B1–B10 codes and fold the transcript/key. If the editor cannot preserve the same voice/noise ratio, label the new mix a different configuration rather than comparing it.; Same playback device and headphones/speakers at locked comfortable level.; Transcript keys with premarked key words.; Writing/AAC method and trial record. Space: Open movement area Automated structural checklist: 10 of 10 structural checks present Evidence quality/context: G2; Detailed research depth Automated method-quality band: Established Method-rating basis: Structure coverage, instruction/check specificity, alternative distinctness, source troubleshooting, comparison depth and whether purpose/check fields are authored rather than derived. Editorial review: Pending manual editorial sign off ## Before you begin - [ ] I read the tutorial authority and stop conditions. - [ ] I have the required equipment/space or a declared accessible alternative. ## Canonical source context Listening in noise can improve on selected tasks; an app score is not the same as easier real conversation. Speech-in-noise understanding is tested with a fixed synthetic sentence/noise mix at comfortable level. The learner transcribes before checking, scores key words rather than confidence, records replay and listening burden, and retests a new sentence. It is not a hearing treatment or a substitute for conversation outcomes. The scoring sheet distinguishes acoustic confusions from language reconstruction by marking the exact substituted consonant, vowel or content word and whether the sentence remained plausible. Target outcome: The learner completes two novel sentence sets and reports key-word accuracy, false words, replay, burden and configuration. ### Authority and setup conditions - Choose a quiet room and one comfortable level; lock voice, noise and level. - Use one replay rule for every sentence. - Keep hearing aids or implants in the ordinary declared programme. - Do not raise level through discomfort or use the task as a hearing-aid fitting check. ### Required or supplied materials - An exact 20-sentence corpus with five keyed words each. Set A: A1 ‘The red kite crossed the quiet lake’ [red,kite,crossed,quiet,lake]; A2 ‘Mina placed seven blue cups beside the window’ [Mina,seven,blue,cups,window]; A3 ‘A small dog waited under the wooden bridge’ [small,dog,waited,wooden,bridge]; A4 ‘The baker carried warm bread to the market’ [baker,carried,warm,bread,market]; A5 ‘Three green buses left before the heavy rain’ [three,green,buses,left,rain]; A6 ‘Jon found the silver key behind the sofa’ [Jon,silver,key,behind,sofa]; A7 ‘The nurse packed clean towels in the yellow bag’ [nurse,clean,towels,yellow,bag]; A8 ‘Two white boats passed the old lighthouse’ [two,white,boats,old,lighthouse]; A9 ‘Sara sent the final letter on Monday morning’ [Sara,final,letter,Monday,morning]; A10 ‘The tall tree shaded the stone garden path’ [tall,tree,shaded,stone,path]. Set B: B1 ‘The black cat watched three birds near the fence’ [black,cat,three,birds,fence]; B2 ‘Omar moved the round table into the kitchen’ [Omar,round,table,into,kitchen]; B3 ‘Four red trains crossed the narrow valley’ [four,red,trains,narrow,valley]; B4 ‘Lena stored the glass jar above the sink’ [Lena,glass,jar,above,sink]; B5 ‘The young farmer closed the gate before sunset’ [young,farmer,closed,gate,sunset]; B6 ‘Maya chose a purple scarf for the concert’ [Maya,purple,scarf,for,concert]; B7 ‘Six grey stones lined the river bank’ [six,grey,stones,river,bank]; B8 ‘The driver left the empty box near reception’ [driver,empty,box,near,reception]; B9 ‘Noah wrote the short answer with a pencil’ [Noah,short,answer,with,pencil]; B10 ‘The bright moon lit the snowy field’ [bright,moon,lit,snowy,field]. - A helper creates the clips in one audio editor using the same synthetic voice, speaking rate and mono pink-noise track. Normalise all voice clips to the same RMS level, mix the continuous pink noise 6 dB below that voice level, add 250 ms noise before and after each sentence, export under neutral A1–A10/B1–B10 codes and fold the transcript/key. If the editor cannot preserve the same voice/noise ratio, label the new mix a different configuration rather than comparing it. - Same playback device and headphones/speakers at locked comfortable level. - Transcript keys with premarked key words. - Writing/AAC method and trial record. ## 1. Lock voice, noise and level Record speaker, noise type, signal-to-noise mix, device, output and hearing-device setting. Why: Each element changes intelligibility. Success check: The audio configuration is complete. Accessible alternative: Complete the same research action — “Record speaker, noise type, signal-to-noise mix, device, output and hearing-device setting.” — using speech-to-text, text-to-speech, enlarged text, keyboard-only navigation, shorter work blocks or a support person. Preserve this declared check: “The audio configuration is complete.” Do not convert the research task into capability practice. Alternative relationship: Target preserving when declared check is preserved Learner notes: ________________________________________________________________________________ Completed: [ ] ## 2. Learn the scoring rule Mark only exact key words as correct; keep substitutions and omissions visible. Why: A fixed word rule is more reliable than “understood the gist”. Success check: A clear practice sentence is scored correctly. Accessible alternative: Complete “Mark only exact key words as correct; keep substitutions and omissions visible.” in shorter passes, or use keyboard input, dictation or a support person, while preserving this success check: “A clear practice sentence is scored correctly.” Keep usual hearing technology and communication strategies as declared supports. Alternative relationship: Target preserving when declared check is preserved Learner notes: ________________________________________________________________________________ Completed: [ ] ## 3. Listen under one replay rule Play each sentence at the fixed level once, or twice only if that rule applies to all trials. Why: Selective replay gives difficult items extra evidence. Success check: Play count is recorded. Accessible alternative: Complete “Play each sentence at the fixed level once, or twice only if that rule applies to all trials.” in shorter passes, or use keyboard input, dictation or a support person, while preserving this success check: “Play count is recorded.” Use typing, handwriting, speech-to-text correction, AAC or partner transcription while preserving the learner’s words. Alternative relationship: Target preserving when declared check is preserved Learner notes: ________________________________________________________________________________ Completed: [ ] ## 4. Write before checking Transcribe exactly what was heard, including uncertain words, before seeing options or the key. Why: Free report reveals real substitutions rather than recognition from choices. Success check: A full response is locked before feedback. Accessible alternative: Replace small or visual-only information with enlarged text, high-contrast display, spoken description or tactile/verbal cueing while preserving the same decision and success check. Provide visual instructions and non-auditory break cues. Alternative relationship: Target preserving when declared check is preserved Learner notes: ________________________________________________________________________________ Completed: [ ] ## 5. Score words and errors Count correct key words, substitutions, omissions and added words separately. Why: Different errors can yield the same percent correct. Success check: Raw word-level errors remain available. Accessible alternative: Complete “Count correct key words, substitutions, omissions and added words separately.” in shorter passes, or use keyboard input, dictation or a support person, while preserving this success check: “Raw word-level errors remain available.” Keep usual hearing technology and communication strategies as declared supports. Alternative relationship: Target preserving when declared check is preserved Learner notes: ________________________________________________________________________________ Completed: [ ] ## 6. Record burden Rate listening effort, fatigue and discomfort after each short block. Why: Accuracy gained through unsustainable effort may not help conversation. Success check: Burden is separate from word score. Accessible alternative: Replace spoken or audio cues with visible text, captions or haptic timing while keeping the same sequence and success check. Use typing, handwriting, speech-to-text correction, AAC or partner transcription while preserving the learner’s words. Alternative relationship: Target preserving when declared check is preserved Learner notes: ________________________________________________________________________________ Completed: [ ] ## 7. Retest a new mix After delay, use unfamiliar sentences and, only after stable baseline, change one noise feature. Why: New language prevents sentence memorisation; one change tests transfer. Success check: No sentence repeats and the changed feature is declared. Accessible alternative: Replace small or visual-only information with enlarged text, high-contrast display, spoken description or tactile/verbal cueing while preserving the same decision and success check. Provide visual instructions and non-auditory break cues. Alternative relationship: Target preserving when declared check is preserved Learner notes: ________________________________________________________________________________ Completed: [ ] ## 8. Classify each word substitution For every wrong key word, write the heard word beside the target and mark sound-neighbour, omitted, inserted or meaning-based guess. Do this before replaying any isolated word. Why: Two people with the same key-word score may have different problems: one misses speech sounds while another fills gaps with a plausible sentence. Success check: Every wrong key word has one preserved heard form and one error category, or is explicitly marked unintelligible. Accessible alternative: Complete the same research action — “For every wrong key word, write the heard word beside the target and mark sound-neighbour, omitted, inserted or meaning-based guess. Do this before replaying any isolated word.” — using speech-to-text, text-to-speech, enlarged text, keyboard-only navigation, shorter work blocks or a support person. Preserve this declared check: “Every wrong key word has one preserved heard form and one error category, or is explicitly marked unintelligible.” Do not convert the research task into capability practice. Alternative relationship: Target preserving when declared check is preserved Learner notes: ________________________________________________________________________________ Completed: [ ] ## Reflection What changed? ________________________________________________________________________________ What remains difficult? ________________________________________________________________________________ What will I repeat, adapt, ask for help with, or stop? ________________________________________________________________________________ --- Completion of this worksheet demonstrates tutorial participation only. It does not establish capability, qualification, safety clearance, diagnosis, treatment or independent validation.