The Audiology Research Laboratory (ARL) has been in existence since 1978, first residing at Vanderbilt University (1978-1986), then moving to Indiana University in June 1986. The laboratory has consistently focused on behavioral research with adults, both those with normal hearing and those with impaired hearing. Research in the ARL is centered on behavioral measurement of various aspects of auditory perception for simple and complex sounds, including speech.
Since about 1990, the ARL began to explore auditory perceptual deficits in older adults, individuals who not only often have peripheral hearing loss, but who may also have concomitant central-auditory or cognitive problems as well. This work has consisted of both basic laboratory investigation of auditory perception and clinical research examining the benefits provided by hearing aids to older adults.
Since its inception, the ARL is fortunate to have been continuously supported by a variety of Federal funding agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Veterans Administration (VA, Rehabilitative Research and Engineering), and especially, the National Institutes of Health (the National Institute of Aging, NIA, and the National Institute of Deafness and other Communication Disorders, NIDCD).
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