Abstract
We investigated the efficiency of the Stenger test for subjects feigning unilateral hearing loss. The Stenger test was employed to estimate the genuine hearing thresholds at 250Hz, 1kHz and 4kHz in 11 normally hearing volunteer subjects feigning total unilateral hearing loss. The test was repeated under 4 conditions: 2 levels (10 and 5dBSL) of test tones presented to the normal ear, in the presence and absence of an earplug in the ear canal of the test ear simulating the complication of organic hearing loss. A `positive-Stenger-result' was obtained in all the subjects, indicating 100% sensitivity of the test for detecting feigning of unilateral hearing loss. The mean estimated hearing thresholds were almost equal to the true hearing thresholds. Estimation errors in the Stenger test were within 15dB (2SD) of the true hearing thresholds, irrespective of the test conditions. This estimation error was smaller than that previously reported using objective tests like ABR or ASSR. This result, with the fact that the Stenger test can be performed quickly without any special equipment, suggests that the Stenger test is more effective and useful for estimating genuine hearing thresholds in cases feigning unilateral hearing loss than the ABR or ASSR.
