Communicating During COVID-19: The Effect of Transparent Masks for Speech Recognition in Noise

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the speech recognition in noise when using a transparent mask that allows greater visibility of the talker’s face compared to an opaque mask in persons with normal and impaired hearing via an online format. Design: A repeated-measures design was used to evaluate the auditory-visual recognition of sentences recorded in background noise with transparent and opaque face masks, and without a mask (N = 154). In a smaller follow-up study (N = 29), the same files were presented via auditory-only presentation to determine if differences observed in the transparent and opaque mask conditions were attributable to additional visual cues or to acoustic differences between the recordings of the two mask types. Listeners completed the 40-minute online session on a computer, laptop, or tablet in a quiet room via their personal listening devices (earbuds or hearing assistive device). The adult volunteers who used English as their first language were recruited through social media links and email and categorized into three groups: normal hearing and confirmed or suspected hearing loss either with or without the use of assistive listening devices. Results: Auditory-visual recognition of sentences recorded with the transparent mask was significantly better (M = 68.9%) than for sentences recorded with the opaque mask (M = 58.9%) for all participants. There was a trend for those who used hearing assistive technology to score lower than the other two groups who had similar performance across all conditions regardless of the mask type. Subjective ratings of confidence and concentration followed the expected pattern based on objective scores. Results of the auditory-only presentation of the sentences to listeners with normal hearing suggested that the transparent mask benefits were not attributable to an acoustic advantage but rather to the addition of the visual cues of the talker’s face available through the transparent mask. In fact, performance in the auditory-only presentation was significantly lower with the transparent mask (M = 40.7%) compared to the opaque mask (M = 58.2%). Conclusions: Use of transparent masks can significantly facilitate speech recognition in noise even for persons with normal hearing and thus may reduce stressful communication challenges experienced in medical, employment, and educational settings during the global pandemic. To mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and facilitate communication, safety-approved transparent masks are strongly encouraged over opaque masks.

Communication with face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic for adults with hearing loss

“…Strategies to enhance communication with face masks that participants put forward in the present study were consistent with recommendations from others (Chodosh et al, 2020 ; Deardorff et al, 2021 ; Schlögl & Jones, 2020 ), such as promoting greater public awareness of masks as barriers to communication and use of basic strategies to aid communication, such as speaking slower, slightly increasing speech volume, and incorporating written or typed text. Use of clear or transparent face masks offer potential for improved communication, as they support listeners’ access to speakers’ facial cues for communication, while still providing some level of protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection (Atcherson et al, 2021 ; Thibodeau et al, 2021 ). Many survey participants called for widespread use of clear face masks, based on expected benefits for facilitating communication.…”

“…It is important to note, however, that there were few reports of first-hand experiences with clear face masks, as these masks are not yet widely manufactured or used (Chodosh et al, 2020 ; Sheik-Ali et al, 2021 ). In fact, the few experiences that were described indicated problems of masks fogging or a “fog effect” owing to moisture created when speaking (Thibodeau et al, 2021 ), which in turn cancelled out the expected benefit of improved access to facial cues. Relative to non-transparent masks, clear face masks have been found to perform poorly acoustically, thus contributing to communication difficulties (Atcherson et al, 2021 ; Corey et al, 2020 ).…”

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Virus (COVID-19) Preventative Measures on Communication: A Scoping Review

“…Fourteen studies used performance-based speech tests to explore the effect of face coverings on speech understanding in quiet and/or in noise ( 6 , 13 , 14 , 48 , 51 , 52 , 54 – 61 ). In general, the results showed the same as those of the acoustic measures, namely that face coverings had a detrimental effect on speech understanding.…”

“…Given the global burden of hearing loss, affecting more than 20% of the global population ( 10 , 11 ), consideration of the impact of preventative measures on communication for people with hearing loss is a priority. To date however only a handful of studies have directly addressed this ( 6 , 12 – 14 ). While transparent face masks have been proposed as a potential solution to alleviate communication problems associated with covering the face and lips ( 6 ), data suggest that the materials used in transparent face masks are acoustically more attenuating than materials used in non-transparent masks ( 3 , 15 ), thus potentially negating their benefit.…”

COVID-19, Face Masks, and Social Interaction: How a Global Pandemic Is Shining a Light on the Importance of Face-to-Face Communication

“…Given the benefits of visual speech cues on speech recognition when acoustic speech is degraded, it is reasonable to expect that access to visual speech via transparent masks and face shields can counteract the acoustic filtering properties of the mask. Consistent with this idea, recent studies show that access to a talker's mouth (i.e., access to visual speech) through a transparent mask improves listeners' speech recognition (Lalonde et al, 2021;Thibodeau et al, 2021). It is important to note, however, that the materials used to make transparent masks and face shields have variable acoustic filtering properties and variable transparency due to reflections or fogging (Corey et al, 2020;L.…”