Samuel B. Burchfield, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Audiology (Retired)

Email: samburch@utk.edu

Dr. Burchfield, after a thirty year career in didactic and clinical teaching,  is working on the Acceptable Noise Level (ANL) program with Dr. Anna Nabelek. The aim of this  endeavor is to determine if people reject hearing aids because of their inability to accept  background noise. Acceptance of background noise has been found to be a stable but highly individualistic  response. Three independent preliminary investigations, using small subject cohorts, have shown that successful hearing aid users accept more background noise than unsuccessful users. The relationship between background noise acceptance and hearing aid use is currently being examined in a cohort of over 200 subjects (National Institute On Deafness and other Communication Disorders, NIH,  R01 DC05018).

The relationship between acceptance of background noise and hearing aid directivity is also currently being examined in a companion project (National Institute On Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH, R01 DC05018S).

The Acceptable Noise Level (ANL) research program

EDUCATION

Doctor of Philosophy (1970), Hearing and Speech Science, Michigan State University
Master of Arts (1967),  Audiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Bachelor of Science (1966), Speech and Hearing, East Tennessee State University

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Instructor, East Carolina University, 1966 Department of Psychology.
• Teaching Assistant, Michigan State University, 1967-1969.
• Assistant Professor, University of Tennessee, 1970-1976 Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology.
• Associate Professor, University of Tennessee, 1976 to present. Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology.
  
   

COURSES TAUGHT DURING PAST FIVE YEARS

ASP 303 Introduction to Hearing Science
ASP 493 Independent Study
ASP 499 Senior Seminar In Communication Sciences and Disorders
ASP 500 Thesis
ASP 543 Amplification Technology for The Hearing Impaired
ASP 544 Amplification Management for The Hearing Impaired
ASP 546 Advanced Audiometry
ASP 547 Laboratory in Amplification for The Hearing Impaired
ASP 655 Practicum in College Teaching
ASP 656 Directed Research
ASP 600 Doctoral Research and Dissertation
ASP 660 Directed Study in Hearing Science

GRANTS, AWARDS AND HONORS

SARIF (1999) Equipment and Infrastructure Fund Proposal (with Anna Nabelek).

NIH, Grant (RO1 DC05018, 2001): New test for predicting hearing aid use (with Anna Nabelek).

NIH, RO1 Grant Supplement (3 RO1 DC05018-01S1, 2002): New test for predicting hearing aid use (with Anna Nabelek).

 

REFEREED PUBLICATIONS

Plyler, Burchfield, and Thelin (1998) Telephone Communication with IN-The-Ear Hearing Aids Using Acoustic and Electromagnetic Coupling. JAAA. 9 (6) 434-444.

Norwood-Chapman, L and Burchfield, S. (1999). Nursing Home Personnel Knowledge and Attitudes About Hearing Loss and Hearing Aids. Gerontology and Geriatric Education, 20 (2) 37-47.

Rogers, Harkrider, Burchfield, and Nabelek (Accepted 2002) JAAA. The influence of listener’s sex on the acceptance of background noise.

Rogers DS, Harkrider AW, Burchfield SB, Nabelek AK. (2003) The influence of listener's gender on the acceptance of background noise. JAAA 14:374-385.

Nabelek AK, Tampas JW, Burchfield SB. (2004) Comparison of speech perception in background noise with acceptance of background noise in aided and unaided conditions. JSLHR 47:1001-1011.

Freyaldenhoven MC, Nabelek AK, Burchfield SB, Thelin JW. (2005). Acceptable noise level (ANL) as a measure of directional benefit. JAAA 16(4) 228-236.

Freyaldenhoven MC, Thelin JW, Plyler PN, Nabelek AK, Burchfield SB. (in press). Effect of stimulant medication on the acceptance of background noise in individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. JAAA.

Freyaldenhoven MC, Plyler PN, Thelin JW, Nabelek AK, Burchfield SB. (in press). The effects of venting and low frequency gain compensation on performance in noise with directional hearing instruments. JAAA.

Nabelek AK, Freyaldenhoven MC, Tampas JW, Burchfield SB, Muenchen RA. (2005). Acceptable noise level as a predictor of hearing aid use. Manuscript submitted for publication.

REFEREED PRESENTATIONS

Norwood-Chapman and Burchfield. Survey of Nursing Home Personnel Knowledge of The Heaing Impaired and Hearing Aids. Poster presented at The American Academy of Audiology Annual Convention, April 1998.

Plyler, Burchfield, and Thelin. Telephone Communication Using Acoustical and Magnetic Coupling. Poster presented at The American Academy of Audiology Annual Convention, 1998.

Fisher, Burchfield, and Nabelek. Acceptance of Background Noise when Listening to Speech. Paper presented at The 1999 Arkansas State Speech-Language Hearing Association Annual Convention.

Fisher, Burchfield, and Nabelek. Acceptance of Background Noise when Listening to Speech. Poster presented at the 2000 American Speech-Language and Hearing Annual Convention.

Franklin, Burchfield and Nabelek. Relationship Between Acceptance of Background Noise While Listening to Speech and Uncomfortable Listening Level. Poster presented at the 2001 American Speech-Language and Hearing Annual Convention.

Franklin, Burchfield, and Nabelek. Relationship Between Acceptance of Background Noise and Noise Tolerance. Poster presented at the 2001 American Speech-Language and Hearing Annual Conference.

Nabelek, Burchfield, Webster, and Freyaldenhoven. A Preliminary Report About Acceptance of Background Noise and Hearing Aid Use. Poster presented at The IHCON 2002 conference.

Franklin, Burchfield and Nabelek. Relationship Between Acceptance of Background Noise and Presentation Level. Poster presented at the 2002 American Speech-Language Hearing Association annual convention.

DIRECTED STUDENT RESEARCH

Ph.D. Dissertation:

Norwood-Chapman, L. Performance of individuals with hearing impairment when using hearing aids (with James Thelin ). with non-directional and directional microphones.

Ph.D. Research Projects:

• Franklin, C. The relationship between acceptance of background noise and loudness tolerance (with Anna Nabelek and James Thelin).
• Franklin, C. The relationship between acceptance of background noise and presentation level (with Anna Nabelek and James Thelin).
• Fisher Smiley, D. The relationship between acceptance of background noise and the preference for background noise (with Anna Nabelek and James Thelin).

MA Theses:

• McIntosh, K. The influence of hearing aid coupler material on hearing aid response.
• Plyler, P. Comparison of in-the-ear hearing aid electroacoustical and electromagnetic telephone response.
• Norwood-Chapman, L.. Attitudes, knowledge, and education about hearing loss and hearing aids in nursing home personnel.
• Freyaldenhoven, M. The influence of hearing directional microphones on the acceptance of background noise.
• Rogers, D. Sex differences in the response to background noise (with Ashley Harkrider).
  
   

CONTACT DETAILS

Sam Burchfield, Ph.D.
Dept. of Audiology and Speech Pathology
442 South Stadium Hall
University of TN
Knoxville, TN 37996-0740

Office: (423) 974-4123
Fax:    (423) 974-1539
Email: samburch@utk.edu