Auditory Prosthesis Perception and Psychophysics Laboratories
Laboratory Overview
Animal Laboratory
Animal psychophysics in relation to anatomy and neurophysiology
Human Laboratory
Human psychophysics and speech recognition
Basic Science Collaborators
Neurophysiology Laboratories
Anatomy and Tissue-Engineering Laboratories
Electrical Engineering Centers
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WIMS ERC
Kensall D. Wise
Clinical and Industrial Collaborators
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Clinical Cochlear Implant Center
Teresa A. Zwolan -
Cochlear Corporation
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Advanced Bionics
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MED-EL
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NeuroNexus Technologies
David J. Anderson
Description
The Auditory Prosthesis Perception and Psychophysics Laboratories comprise two behavioral laboratories (animal and human) which function both independently and in close collaboration with other laboratories at the Kresge Hearing Research Institute. In the human laboratory, psychophysical and speech perception studies are conducted in adult human subjects who have cochlear implants and with normal hearing adults using acoustic simulations of auditory prosthesis processors. In the animal laboratory, psychophysical studies are conducted in guinea pigs that are trained using positive reinforcement operant conditioning procedures. Neurophysiological experiments in these same animals are conducted in the Neurophysiology laboratories of Drs. Bledsoe and Middlebrooks. Data from the psychophysical and neurophysiological experiments in the guinea pigs lead to hypotheses about the mechanisms of electrical hearing that are then tested with further psychophysical and neurophysiological experiments in the animals and with psychophysical and speech recognition experiments in the human subjects.
Surgical, computer, machine and electronic shop and other facilities at the KHRI and elsewhere at the University of Michigan are available to support this research.
