Test of Basic Auditory Capabilities,
Modification 4 (TBAC-4)

And the National Auditory Capabilities Database (NACD)

The TBAC-4 provides solutions to two problems. First, the subtests in that battery provide a principled basis for estimating three specific auditory abilities, and Auditory G, the general auditory processing ability. Second, by making these tests broadly available in a form that can be conveniently given to listeners under similar conditions and with identical instructions it is hoped that a large national, or international, database can be established. On the basis of that database it should be possible to establish meaningful limits of normal of auditory abilities in addition to pure-tone sensitivity.

It should be stressed that the neglect of auditory acuity in favor of sensitivity as the primary dimension of normal or disordered functioning is neither an intellectual oversight nor a situation in grave need of correction in order to solve outstanding clinical problems, at least as far as current knowledge is concerned. From early on it was clear that persons with impaired sensitivity (elevated detection thresholds) suffered serious problems, primarily evident in their difficulty in understanding speech. And, the greater the sensitivity loss, the greater the problem with speech understanding. Some spectral and temporal acuity problems may also be associated with hearing loss. There were, however, only very rare reports of deficits in spectral or temporal acuity causing functional hearing problems, in the absence of loss of sensitivity. Most such reports were associated with frank neurological problems, generally associated with head trauma, cancer, or stroke. Clinicians and auditory scientists have been aware that differences in acuity exist, but also that they have not been shown to have anything like the great clinical significance of differences in sensitivity. Thus definitions of normal auditory acuity have been neglected in part because there has been little evidence that establishing such standards would contribute to listeners¡¯ wellbeing. No standardized tests exist partly because there has been no demand for them. Thus the TBAC-4 may be considered a solution to a non-existent problem, however some more recent investigators have suggested that this may not be the case.

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