The word-with-noise test: test-retest reliability in normal-hearing adults

Purpose  To investigate the reliability of the Word-with-Noise Test in a group of normal-hearing adults.

Methods  Forty-five normal-hearing adult subjects participated in the research. The interval between the first and second assessment was 14 to 28 days, performed during the same time of the day and by the same evaluator. The comparison analysis between the test and the retest was performed considering the general result of the ears, totaling 90 ears evaluated. The inferential analysis included the comparison of the situations in the first and second assessment using the Wilcoxon Test, calculation, and interpretation of the Intraclass Correlation Index.

Results  There was a statistically significant difference between the test and retest performances. The intraclass correlation coefficients obtained were indicative of good reliability (r=0.759; p<0.001) for the monosyllabic stimulus and moderate reliability (r=0.631; p<0.001) for the disyllabic stimulus.

Conclusion  The Word-with-Noise Test demonstrated satisfactory reliability for both the monosyllabic and disyllabic stimuli.

Keywords:
Hearing; Speech Perception; Hearing Tests; Noise; Reproducibility of Results; Psychometrics; Adult