The George Washington University, with the support of the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is carrying out studies on speech recognition training. SeeHear LLC is hosting studies with the approval of the George Washington University

Purpose of the Studies

The purpose of this research is to develop effective methods for training lipreading for adults with hearing loss. While we do not think that most people with hearing loss need to rely entirely on silent lipreading, we know that lipreading can be very helpful during face-to-face communication in noisy environments in which listening is very difficult.

Activities during the Studies

Participants will use their own computer at home during all parts of the studies. Everyone who qualifies for the study may be invited to carry out a series of tests such as a hearing screening, vision screening, and tests of speech recognition. Some participants will be invited to carry out training activities.
Three sessions of the study will be carried out remotely during teleconferences with the researchers. Training sessions will be carried out by participants on their own. About three hours will be needed for the teleconferences, and about six hours to complete the independent activities.

Who may qualify for the study?

We seek individuals who:

1. Are 18-85 years of age (Study 1 or Study 2);
2. Have normal-hearing or have been diagnosed with hearing loss acquired in adulthood (Study 1);
3. Have been diagnosed with hearing loss (mild to moderate) acquired in adulthood (Study 2);
4. Primarily heard and spoke American English during the first 10 years of their life;
5. Have not had major concussions or other brain injury or disability;
6. Have normal or corrected-to-normal vision;
7. Have access to a desktop or laptop computer with an internet connection fast enough to stream movies and with sound output by loudspeaker loud enough for understanding speech in quiet.

If you have a hearing loss it would be preferable if participants could provide an audiogram taken in the previous 2 years.
Please note that a study may not be available, if we have already accepted the planned number of participants, or if other qualifications are not met. Please feel free to read the consent documents for the available studies and additional qualifications. Participation will require your consent at the bottom of the consent form.

How To Learn More

If you have questions please send us a message.

Click to Preview Consent Form for Study 1 (18-85 years old).

Click to Preview Consent Form for Study 2.(18-85 years old and diagnosed hearing loss)