Purpose: The goals of this study were (1) to investigate the reliability of a clinical music
perception test, Appreciation of Music in Cochlear Implantees (AMICI), and (2) examine
associations between the perception of music and speech. AMICI was developed as a
clinical instrument for assessing music perception in persons with cochlear implants
(CIs). The test consists of four subtests: (1) music versus environmental noise discrimination,
(2) musical instrument identification (closed-set), (3) musical style identification
(closed-set), and (4) identification of musical pieces (open-set). To be clinically
useful, it is crucial for AMICI to demonstrate high test-retest reliability, so that
CI users can be assessed and retested after changes in maps or programming strategies.
Research Design: Thirteen CI subjects were tested with AMICI for the initial visit and retested again
10–14 days later. Two speech perception tests (consonant-nucleus-consonant [CNC] and
Bamford-Kowal-Bench Speech-in-Noise [BKB-SIN]) were also administered.
Data Analysis: Test-retest reliability and equivalence of the test's three forms were analyzed using
paired t-tests and correlation coefficients, respectively. Correlation analysis was also conducted
between results from the music and speech perception tests.
Results: Results showed no significant difference between test and retest (p > 0.05) with adequate power (0.9) as well as high correlations between the three
forms (Forms A and B, r = 0.91; Forms A and C, r = 0.91; Forms B and C, r = 0.95). Correlation analysis showed high correlation between AMICI and BKB-SIN (r = −0.71), and moderate correlation between AMICI and CNC (r = 0.4).
Conclusions: The study showed AMICI is highly reliable for assessing musical perception in CI
users.
Key Words
Cochlear implants - music perception - test-retest reliability - speech perception
