Listen Up! Exhibit Research Data: Hearing Test Results

Thousands of museum visitors are participating in research while interacting with Listen Up!, part of the Dangerous Decibels exhibit at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Visitors test their hearing and voluntarily answer questions about themselves and the types of noises to which they have recently been exposed. Researchers at the Oregon Hearing Research Center at Oregon Health & Sciences University use this valuable data in research on noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus.

The pie chart below shows the latest results from first time visitors. Try changing the way you view the data to see how results change by age, gender, or hearing threshold. (Additional study data is available by clicking on the links at the top of the page.)

= at or below hearing threshold (in both ears) = above hearing threshold (in either ear) (See note below for more info about hearing thresholds.)

Search Group Gender: Female and Male Age Range: 6 - 85 Hearing Threshold: 20db Results Group Size: 58250 Total at or below hearing threshold (in both ears): 45243 (78%) Total above hearing threshold (in either ear): 13007 (22%)

Notes:

• Listen Up! tests each ear to find the softest sound a participant can hear between 20 dB and 65 dB HL. The quietest sound heard (in a person's worst-hearing ear) is the hearing threshold. People with a low hearing threshold are better able to hear quiet sounds.
• Listen Up! is not a complete hearing test. (It only tests hearing at 4,000 Hz, one of the frequencies most associated with noise-induced hearing loss.)
• Average hearing thresholds vary depending on a person's age and gender. See our chart of average hearing thresholds for details.
• The most accurate results will be for subjects from 6 years old to 85.
• For more information see our Hearing Loss Information Page.