Effects of face masks on speech recognition in multi-talker babble noise.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Toscano JC
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7904190 | biostudies-literature | 2021
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Effects of face masks on speech recognition in multi-talker babble noise.
Toscano Joseph C JC Toscano Cheyenne M CM
PloS one 20210224 2
Face masks are an important tool for preventing the spread of COVID-19. However, it is unclear how different types of masks affect speech recognition in different levels of background noise. To address this, we investigated the effects of four masks (a surgical mask, N95 respirator, and two cloth masks) on recognition of spoken sentences in multi-talker babble. In low levels of background noise, masks had little to no effect, with no more than a 5.5% decrease in mean accuracy compared to a no-ma ...[more]
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