A Front-Back Confusion Metric in Horizontal Sound Localization: The FBC Score

Abstract In sound localization experiments, currently used metrics for front-back confusion (FBC) analysis weight the occurring FBCs equally, regardless of their deviation from the cone of confusion. To overcome this limitation, we introduce the FBC Score. A sound localization experiment in the horizontal plane with 12 bilaterally implanted cochlear implants (CI) users and 12 normal hearing subjects was performed to validate the method with real clinical data. The overall FBC Rate of the CI users was twice as high as the FBC Score. For the control group, the FBC Rate was 4 times higher than the FBC Score. The results indicate that the FBC Rate is inflated by FBCs that show a considerable deviation from the corresponding value on the cone of confusion.