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Skyler G. Jennings, AuD

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Communication Sciences & Disorders , Adjunct - Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery

Dr. Jennings grew up in Salt Lake City. He completed his undergraduate education at the University of Utah and Utah State University. He attended graduate school at Purdue University where he received his master's, Au.D. (clinical doctorate in Audiology) and Ph.D. degrees. Dr. Jennings is married, has two children and lives in the south end of the valley.

Research Statement

The long-term goal of my research is to understand how the auditory system and brain process sound in noisy backgrounds to achieve robust speech understanding. My current projects center on the hypothesis that efferent feedback automatically calibrates the auditory system to the ever-changing acoustic soundscape. This hypothesis predicts that individuals with cochlear hearing impairment suffer from an inability to adapt to new acoustic environments, since loss of outer hair cell (OHC) function is expected to negatively influence an important efferent subsystem called the medial olivocochlear (MOC) reflex. Despite physiological evidence linking MOC activity to improved signal-to-noise ratios, behavioral studies in humans have yet to provide compelling results to support this claim. This lack of evidence provides the impetus for my recent research interests and activities.

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Jennings SG, Chen J, Fultz SE, Ahlstrom JB, Dubno JR (2018). Amplitude modulation detection with a short-duration carrier: Effects of a precursor and hearing loss. J Acoust Soc Am, 143(4), 2232.
  2. Jennings SG, Ahlstrom JB, Dubno JR (2016). Effects of age and hearing loss on overshoot. J Acoust Soc Am, 140(4), 2481.
  3. Almishaal A, Bidelman GM, Jennings SG (2017). Notched-noise precursors improve detection of low-frequency amplitude modulation. J Acoust Soc Am, 141(1), 324.
  4. Bidelman GM, Schug JM, Jennings SG, Bhagat SP (2014). Psychophysical auditory filter estimates reveal sharper cochlear tuning in musicians. J Acoust Soc Am, 136(1), EL33-9.
  5. Jennings SG, Strickland EA (2012). Auditory filter tuning inferred with short sinusoidal and notched-noise maskers. J Acoust Soc Am, 132(4), 2497-513.
  6. Jennings SG, Strickland EA (2012). Evaluating the effects of olivocochlear feedback on psychophysical measures of frequency selectivity. J Acoust Soc Am, 132(4), 2483-96.
  7. Jennings SG, Strickland EA, Heinz MG (2009). Precursor effects on behavioral estimates of frequency selectivity and gain in forward masking. J Acoust Soc Am, 125(4), 2172-81.
  8. Jennings SG, Sivas K, Stone C (2018). Effects of Masker Envelope Fluctuations on the Temporal Effect. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol, 19(6), 717-727.
  9. Jennings SG, Ahlstrom JB, Dubno JR (2014). Computational modeling of individual differences in behavioral estimates of cochlear nonlinearities. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol, 15(6), 945-60.
  10. Chintanpalli A, Jennings SG, Heinz MG, Strickland EA (2012). Modeling the anti-masking effects of the olivocochlear reflex in auditory nerve responses to tones in sustained noise. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol, 13(2), 219-35.
  11. Jennings SG, Heinz MG, Strickland EA (2011). Evaluating adaptation and olivocochlear efferent feedback as potential explanations of psychophysical overshoot. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol, 12(3), 345-60.
  12. Bidelman GM, Jennings SG, Strickland EA (2015). PsyAcoustX: A flexible MATLAB(®) package for psychoacoustics research. Front Psychol, 6, 1498.
  13. Strickland EA (10/01/2009). Strickland EA, and Jennings SG (2007). "An Adjustable Auditory System," Acoustics Today. 3(4), 27-28
  14. Jennings SG, Ahlstrom JB, and Dubno JR (12/2014). Jennings SG, Ahlstrom JB, and Dubno JR (2014). "Computational Modeling of Individual Differences in Behavioral Estimates of Cochlear Nonlinearities," J. Assoc. Res. Otolaryngol. 15, 945-960
  15. Jennings SG (10/01/2012). Jennings SG, Dubno JR (2012). "The medial olivocochlear reflex: Nature's automatic gain control?" Audiol Today. 5, 58-61
  16. Chintanpalli AK (04/01/2012). Chintanpalli AK, Jennings SG, Heinz MG, and Strickland EA (2012). "Modeling the anti-masking effects of the olivocochlear reflex in auditory-nerve responses to tones in sustained noise," J. Assoc. Res. Otolaryngol. 13, 219-235
  17. Jennings SG (06/01/2011). Jennings SG, Heinz MG, and Strickland EA (2011). "Evaluating Proposed Mechanisms of Psychophysical Overshoot Using a Computational Model of the Auditory Periphery," J. Assoc. Res. Otolaryngol. 12, 345-360
  18. Jennings SG (11/01/2012). Jennings SG, and Strickland EA (2012). "Auditory Filter Tuning Inferred with Short Sinusoidal and Notched-noise Maskers," J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 132, 2483-2496.
  19. Jennings, S.G. (11/2017). "Amplitude Modulation Detection with a Short-Duration Carrier: Effects of a Precursor and Hearing Loss".
  20. Jennings SG (04/01/2009). Jennings SG, Strickland EA, and Heinz MG (2009). "Precursor Effects on Behavioral Estimates of Frequency Selectivity and Gain in Forward Masking," J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125, 2172-2181
  21. Almishaal A (10/2016). ¿Notched-Noise Precursors Improve Detection of Low-Frequency Amplitude Modulation¿. 141, 324-333.
  22. Bidelman GM, Schug JM, Jennings SG, and Bhagat SP (07/2014). Bidelman GM, Schug JM, Jennings SG, and Bhagat SP (2014). "Psychophysical Auditory Filter Estimates Suggest Sharper Cochlear Tuning in Musicians," J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 136, EL33-49
  23. Bidelman GM, Jennings SG, and Strickland EA (10/2015). Bidelman GM, Jennings SG, and Strickland EA (2015). "PsyAcoustX: A flexible MATLAB® package for psychoacoustics research," Front. Psychol. Advance online publication. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01498
  24. Jennings SG, Ahlstrom JB, and Dubno JR (10/2016). ¿Effects of Inherent Masker Fluctuations on Overshoot¿.
  25. Almishaal, A. (01/2017). Notched-noise precursors improve detection of low-frequency amplitude modulation. 141, 324-333.
  26. Jennings SG (10/2016). ¿Effects of Inherent Masker Fluctuations on Overshoot¿.
  27. Jennings SG (09/01/2012). Jennings SG, and Strickland EA (2012). "Evaluating the Effects of Olivocochlear Feedback on Psychophsyical Measures of Frequency Selectivity," J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 132, 2497-2513.

Book Chapter

  1. Jennings SG (01/01/2010). Jennings SG, and Strickland EA (2010). "The Frequency Selectivity of Gain Reduction Masking: Analysis Using Two Equally Effective Maskers," In E. A. Lopez-Poveda, A. R. Palmer, and R. Meddis (Eds.) The Neurophysiological Bases of Auditory Perception. New York: Springer., 47-58
  2. Jennings SG (03/2019). ¿Digital Signal Processing¿. SAGE.