Psychophysical and Behavioral Peripheral and Central Auditory Tests

Diagnostic batteries to assess the integrity of the central auditory nervous system (CANS) include behavioral (i.e., psychophysical) tests, electrophysiologic procedures, and to some degree, electroacoustic procedures. In this chapter, we focus on behavioral tests used to identify lesions (including diffuse lesions), abnormalities, or dysfunction of the CANS, as well as identify associated functional deficits (e.g., listening in noise deficits). Following a brief review of several tests considered more peripheral in their application (e.g., pure-tone thresholds, otoacoustic emissions, acoustic reflex), we provide some historic context and a review of tests currently in use which are sensitized by design to measure central auditory function, as well as others which have not been adopted clinically and new tests and procedures which hold promise for clinical diagnosis. Tests reviewed include those of dichotic listening, temporal processing (e.g., temporal resolution and temporal patterning), binaural interaction (e.g., masking level differences), monaural low-redundancy measures (e.g., speech in noise or competition, filtered speech, time-compressed speech), and new paradigms which measure auditory evoked potentials in response to test stimuli typically used in behavioral tests.