Take part in a study on cochlear implants and earn £25

Researchers from the UCL Ear Institute and the Department of Speech Hearing and Phonetic Sciences are looking for subjects to participate in a study aimed at developing a training programme for cochlear implant users.

Participants must be aged between 18 and 60-years-old, have normal hearing and be native British-English speakers.

As an overview, Deaf individuals who use cochlear implants hear sounds with much less detail than people with normal hearing. Researchers are interested in the range of effects it has on the ability to hear and understand speech.

Cochlear implants distort sounds which is why there is a period where an individual must re-learn how to hear speech again. The training program in this study uses pre-recorded British English speech which is why researchers require native British English speakers with normal hearing to participate in the study.

What does the study involve?

There will be two sessions. The first session will begin with a hearing screen followed by the training program. The second session will consist a run through of the training program a second time. Researchers will be simulating the sounds heard through a cochlear implant for the duration of the training.

The 2 sessions need to be at least 3 days apart. Please indicate in the poll below several times and dates that best suit your availability.

Compensation of £25 will be paid out at the end of the second session. As a bonus: if you have never had your hearing checked, the hearing screen will give you a baseline.

• Register an interest in taking part in the study

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email melissa.hazen.16@ucl.ac.uk. Researchers will email you to confirm times and locations. If you have not received an email, your time has not been confirmed.

This study is being carried out at University College London and has full ethical approval (ref: SHaPS-2017-AF-019).  

Melissa Hazen, UCL Ear Institute