Objective assessment of stream segregation abilities of CI users as a function of electrode separation

Auditory streaming is a perceptual process by which the human auditory system organizes sounds from different sources into perceptually meaningful elements. Segregation of sound sources is important,
among others, for understanding speech in noisy environments, which is especially challenging for cochlear implant (CI) users. Despite its high relevance in many daily situations, the number of studies investigating segregation abilities of CI listeners is limited and their findings are contradictory (e.g. Cooper and Roberts, 2009; Marozeau et al, 2013). Moreover, while most of the previous research assessed obligatory stream segregation, little attention has been given to voluntary stream segregation, a process where the listener actively tries to segregate the sounds. It is therefore unclear whether CI users are able to experience voluntary stream segregation as a function of electrode separation and whether this is perceived to occur instantaneously or to build-up over time.