3.3 Spatial Release from Masking
Figure 4 shows the individual SRM achieved by the NH and SSD groups. SRM occurred for all NH participants and SSD patients in the SeparatedS0NSSD condition (each data point of SRM was above zero). For the NH group, the mean (SD) value of SRM was 2.86 (1.86) dB SNR. For patients with SSD, the mean (SD) values of SRM in SeparatedS0NNH and SeparatedS0NSSDconditions were −1.71 (2.36) dB SNR and 3 (1.41) dB SNR, respectively, which changed to −0.43 (3.36) dB SNR and 2.86 (1.86) dB SNR, respectively, when listening with BCDs. However, no statistical difference was found. When compared with the NH group, underdeveloped SRMs were revealed for the SSD group, either with or without BCDs (independent t-tests, unaided vs NH, t=−4.79, p<0.05; aided vs NH: t=−2.5, p<0.05), while in the SeparatedS0NSSD test condition, SRMs were comparable with those of NH listeners (independent t-tests, unaided vs NH, t=0.23, p=0.83; aided vs. NH: t=0, p=1.00). Figure 5 shows the SRMs for the SSD (with and without BCDs) and NH groups as a function of age. Regression analyses were conducted, and a significant relationship was only revealed in the NH group (r2=0.64, p<0.05), indicating that the SRM continued to change during childhood for NH children.