Prediction of auditory sensitivity. Small sample confirmation using acoustic reflex thresholds.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the accuracy of a previously described method for predicting hearing loss, using a comparison of acoustic reflex thresholds for pure tones and broad-band noise, would occur in a small sample under clinical test conditions. Fifty subjects, whose hearing levels ranged from normal to profound hearing loss, contributed acoustic reflex threshold data on 100 ears. Auditory sensitivity predictions calculated from these data were compared to the degree of auditory sensitivity evidence with use of conventional audiometry. The results indicate that the primary advantage in using acoustic reflex thresholds as a means of predicting auditory sensitivity seems to be the differentiation between ears with normal hearing and sensorineurally impaired ears.