Psychophysical studies for a multiple-channel cochlear implant

Abstract

This paper describes the results obtained in a series of psychophysical studies conducted with our first multiple-channel cochlear implant patient. The variations of apparent loudness and pitch for single-electrode stimulation were determined by the method of magnitude estimation. The results showed that the loudness growth due to increases in current level was much steeper than the growth for acoustic stimulation in normal hearing subjects. The pitch produced by electrical stimulation was found to increase with pulse rates below 200 pps, while the increase in pitch with pulse rate was less pronounced above 200 pps. For a constant rate of stimulation, the pitch varied with the electrode position. Furthermore, the same pitch estimate could be obtained by driving single electrodes with different pulse rates.