Dr. Doherty specializes in speech perception in the hearing-impaired, psychoacoustics, and amplification, with a specific interest in improving hearing aid fitting protocols for older people. Dr. Doherty is a Gerontology Faculty Affiliate since 2007.

Research Spotlight

Our research is focused on improving hearing communication for older people. We study the effects of cognitive aging and age related hearing loss on people’s ability to perceive speech. In our studies we focus on both the effects of bottom up (peripheral hearing) and top-down (central processes) processing on older people's ability to perceive speech and successfully use hearing aids. The long-term goal of our work is to increase the benefit and satisfaction that older people receive from wearing hearing aids and using other assistive listening devices.

Doherty, K. A. & Desjardins, J. L. (2012). PHAST-R, Practical Hearing Aid Skills Test–Revised (Version 1) [software]. Retrieved from:

http://www.ibridgenetwork.org/syracuse/phast-r-practical-hearing-aid-skills-test-an-objective-test-t

Desjardins JL, Alicea CA, Doherty KA. The Effect of Memory Span and Manual Dexterity on Hearing Aid Handling Skills in New and Experienced Hearing Aid Users. Am J Audiol. 2019;28(1):37-47. DOI: 10.1044/2018_AJA-17-0118

Lutfi, R. A. & Doherty, K. A., "Modeling level discrimination of broadband signals by listeners with sensorineural hearing loss" (eBook Jan 1 2019), Modeling Sensorineural Hearing Loss. Taylor and Francis, p. 235-245 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315789392

Turner, C. W. & Doherty, K. A., "Temporal masking and The "active process" in normal and hearing-impaired listeners" (eBook Jan 1 2019), Modeling Sensorineural Hearing Loss. Taylor and Francis, p. 235-245 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315789392

Desjardins, J. L. & Doherty, K. A., (2017). Changes in psychosocial measures after a 6-week field trial, American Journal of Audiology. 26, 2, p. 119-128 https://doi.org/10.1044/2017_AJA-16-0066

Alicea, C. & Doherty, K.A. (2017) Motivation to Address Self-Reported Hearing Problems in Adults with Normal-Hearing Thresholds, Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, Vol. 60, 3642-3655.

Desjardins, J. L. & Doherty, K. A. (2017). Changes in Psychosocial Measures after a Six Week Field Trial with Hearing Aids. American Journal of Audiology. Vol. 26, 119-128.

Calandruccio, L. Buss, E. & Doherty, K.A. (2016). The effects of presentation level on spectral weights for sentences. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America Vol. 139 (1):466-494.

Mao. J., Koch, K.J., Doherty, K.A. & Carney, L.H. (2015). Cues for Diotic and Dichotic Detection of a 500-Hz Tone in Noise Vary with Hearing Loss. Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology. Vol. 16, 507–521.

Doherty KA and Desjardins JL (2015). The benefit of amplification on auditory working memory function in middle-aged and young-older hearing impaired adults. Frontiers in Psychology. 6:721. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00721

Bochner, J.H., Garrison, W.M. & Doherty, K.A. (2015). The NTID Speech Recognition Test: NSRT. International Journal of Audiology, Vol 54(7):490-498.

Desjardins, J. L. & Doherty, K. A. (2014). The effect of hearing aid noise reduction on listening effort in older hearing impaired adults. Ear and Hearing. Vol. 35 (6), 600-610.

Doherty, K. A. (2014). The impact of hearing loss on listening effort and fatigue. Ear and Hearing, Vol. 35, (6), 591.

Desjardins, J. L. & Doherty, K. A. (2013). Age-related changes in listening effort for various types of masker noises. Ear and Hearing. Vol. 34, (3), 261 – 272.

Doherty, K. A. & Desjardins, J. L. (2012). The Practical Hearing Aids Skills Test Revised (PHAST-R). American Journal of Audiology, Vol. 21, 100 – 105.

Desjardins, J. L. & Doherty, K. A. (2009). Do experienced hearing aid users know how to correctly use their hearing aids? American Journal of Audiology, 8, 1 – 8.

Shi, L. & Doherty, K. A. (2008). Subjective and objective effects of fast and slow compression on the perception of reverberant speech in listeners with hearing loss. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 51 (5), 1328 – 1340.

Calandruccio, L., & Doherty, K. A. (2008). Spectral weighting strategies for hearing-impaired listeners measured using a correlational method. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 123, 2367 – 2378.

Calandruccio, L., Doherty, K. A., Carney, L. H., & Kikkeri, H. (2007). Perception of temporally processed speech by hearing-impaired listeners. Ear and Hearing, 28 (4), 512 – 523.

Calandruccio, L., & Doherty, K. A. (2007). Spectral weighting functions for sentences measured by a correlational method. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 121, 3827 – 3836.

Shi, L. F., Doherty, K. A., Kordas, T. M., & Pellegrino, J. T. (2007). Short- and long-term hearing aid benefit and user satisfaction: A comparison between two fitting protocols. Journal of American Academy of Audiology, 18 (6), 482 – 495.

Shi, L. F., Doherty, K. A., & Zwislocki, J. J. (2007). Aided loudness growth and satisfaction with everyday loudness perception in compression hearing-aid users. Journal of American Academy of Audiology, 18, 206 – 219.

Anzalone, M. C., Calandruccio, L., Doherty, K. A., & Carney, L. H. (2006). Determination of the potential benefit of time-frequency gain manipulation. Ear and Hearing, 27 (5), 480 – 492.

Shi, L., Carney L. H. & Doherty, K. A. (2006). Correction of the peripheral spatiotemporal response Pattern: A potential new signal processing strategy. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 49, 848 – 855.

Doherty, K. A. & Lutfi, R. A. (1999). Level discrimination of single tones in a broadband signal by normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 105, 1831 – 1840.

Turner, C. W., Tanaka, C., Knapp, J., Kwon, B. & Doherty, K. A. (1998). Frequency weighting functions for NST speech materials as estimated by a correlational method. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 104, 1580 – 1585.

Huckins, S. C., Turner, C. W., Doherty, K. A., Fonte, M. M. & Szeverenyi, N. M. (1998). Functional magnetic resonance imaging of blood flow patterns in human auditory cortex in response to speech. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 41, 538 – 548.

Doherty, K. A. & Lutfi, R. A. (1996). Spectral weights for overall level discrimination in listeners with sensorineural hearing loss. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 99, 1053 – 1058.

Lutfi, R. A., Doherty, K. A., & Oh, E. (1996). Psychometric functions for the discrimination of spectral variance. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 100, 2258 – 2265.

Doherty, K. A. & Turner, C. W. (1996). Use of a correlational method to estimate a listener's weighting function for speech. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 100, 3769 – 3773.

Lutfi, R. A., & Doherty, K. A. (1994). Effect of component-relative-entropy on the discrimination of simultaneous tone complexes. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 96, 3443 – 3450.

2014 – present Chair, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Syracuse University

2014 – present Professor, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Syracuse University

Faculty Affiliate, Integrated Learning Majors in Neuroscience 2013-present

Aging Studies Institute Member 2011 – present

Gerontology Faculty Affiliate, 2007 – present

Institute for Sensory Research Member, 2002 – present

Center for Aging and Policy Studies, 2009 – 2011

2001 – 2014 Associate Professor, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Syracuse University

1996 – 2001 Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Syracuse University

2000 – 2001 Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry—Otolaryngology Division

1994 – 1996 Research Associate (Postdoctoral Fellow), Syracuse University

1993 – 1994 Research Assistant, Language Lab (Dr. Robin Chapman), University of Wisconsin

1990 – 1994 Research Assistant, Auditory Behavioral Research Lab (Dr. Robert Lutfi), University of Wisconsin

1989 – 1991 Doctoral Trainee, U.S Department of Education Training Grant, University of Wisconsin–Madison

1987 – 1989 Clinical Audiologist, Wethersfield Hearing Center, Wethersfield, CT