Purpose
To determine whether musical practice improves speech comprehension in noisy conditions.
Methods
A total 43 female and male subjects aged between 18 and 33 years were distributed into three groups: the Musicians Group, comprising 15 subjects with formal music education; the Intermediate Group, comprising 13 subjects with informal music education; and the Non-musicians Group, comprising 15 subjects without musical experience. The participants had normal hearing thresholds and external and middle ear condition. The Hearing in Noise Test, Brazilian Version, was administered, and the results were analyzed by ANOVA and Chi-Square methods.
Results
The three groups were normal based on the test standards. There was no statistical difference between the groups overall. In the gender comparison, the only the female participants in the Musician and Intermediate groups differed, and the Intermediate Group performed better.
Conclusion
Previous musical experience did not influence speech in noise perception.
Hearing; Music; Speech perception; Signal-to-noise ratio; Hearing tests