Participate
The ASP Lab is actively seeking volunteers to participate in these current research studies.
Quick Hearing Tests
Standard hearing tests don’t always explain the kinds of hearing difficulties people experience in daily life. We’re evaluating new quick tests that may be useful in quantifying hearing difficulties and exploring hearing aid benefits.
At the beginning of the study, participants will have a standard hearing test to determine eligibility. A licensed Audiologist will explain the results and participants are welcome to keep a copy for their records at no charge. If qualification criteria are met, participants will complete surveys about hearing, loudness judgments, listening and speech understanding tasks.
The study takes 1-2 hours to complete.
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Who: Adults with normal hearing or some hearing loss
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Ages: 19 – 90+
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Compensation: $20/hour (cash)
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Visit type: In-person
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Location: Boys Town Medical Campus – Downtown (555 N. 30th Street, Omaha, NE 68131)
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Requirements: Participants must be native speakers of English and have no known/diagnosed neurological or cognitive disorder.
Schedule an appointment to participate:
https://quickhearingtests.timetap.com/
Contact the ASP Lab by email (Auditory.Processing@boystown.org) or phone (531) 355-6373.
Frequently Asked Questions
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If you choose to participate in this study, you will be asked to come to the lab for one appointment lasting 1-2 hours. During the appointment, you will be asked to do some of the following tasks.
Standard Hearing Test:
- This test measures how well you hear soft sounds.
- You will hear sounds presented through earphones and click a button when you hear the sounds.
- This test takes 10-30 minutes.
Questionnaires:
- You will be asked questions about your ears and hearing history.
- You will be asked about your experience hearing and listening in different situations.
- These tasks take about 10 minutes.
Speech Understanding Task:
- You will listen to speech sounds that are mixed with background noise
- You will identify the sounds you hear on a display screen
- You may be asked to repeat this task wearing a hearing aid provided by the lab and/or your personal hearing aid if you have one
- This task takes about 10-20 minutes.
Loudness Judgment Task:
- You will rate the loudness of different sounds that you hear using a scale on a display screen
- This task takes about 30-45 minutes
Listening Task:
- A small tip will be placed in your ear canal that plays a chirping sound
- You will sit quietly and relax while your ear responds on its own
- This is similar to a kind of hearing test given to newborns and infants
- This task takes about 10-30 minutes
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You will be compensated $20.00/hour in cash at the end of the appointment.
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If you choose to participate in this study, you will be asked to come in for one appointment lasting 1-2 hours.
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We are located at Boys Town National Research Hospital at 555 N. 30th St., Omaha, NE 68131 on the 3rd Floor.
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We schedule most of our visits Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Alternate times may be arranged individually if necessary.
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Given that COVID-19 and other illnesses are continuing to affect Nebraskans, you will want to know about our safety practices. Please reschedule your appointment if you feel ill. We will contact you and reschedule appointments if anyone in the lab is ill. We disinfect all surfaces in the lab and wash/sanitize our hands before and after each visit. We are requesting that no more than one additional person accompany you to your scheduled appointment.
Masking remains a priority at Boys Town National Research Hospital and Clinics. This practice continues to be the healthcare community standard in our area. Thank you for your cooperation.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
