Skyler G. Jennings

Skyler G. Jennings, AuD

Academic Information

Departments Primary - , Adjunct - Surgery

Divisions:

Academic Office Information

Skyler.Jennings@hsc.utah.edu

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, Sivas K, Stone C (2018). Effects of Masker Envelope Fluctuations on the Temporal Effect. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol, 19(6), 717-727.
  2. 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.
  3. Jennings SG (11/2017). "Amplitude Modulation Detection with a Short-Duration Carrier: Effects of a Precursor and Hearing Loss".
  4. Almishaal A, Bidelman GM, Jennings SG (2017). Notched-noise precursors improve detection of low-frequency amplitude modulation. J Acoust Soc Am, 141(1), 324.
  5. Almishaal A (01/2017). Notched-noise precursors improve detection of low-frequency amplitude modulation. . 141, 324-333.
  6. Jennings SG, Ahlstrom JB, Dubno JR (2016). Effects of age and hearing loss on overshoot. J Acoust Soc Am, 140(4), 2481.
  7. Jennings SG Ahlstrom JB and Dubno JR (10/2016). “Effects of Inherent Masker Fluctuations on Overshoot”.
  8. Jennings SG (10/2016). “Effects of Inherent Masker Fluctuations on Overshoot” .
  9. Almishaal A (10/2016). “Notched-Noise Precursors Improve Detection of Low-Frequency Amplitude Modulation” . 141, 324-333.
  10. Bidelman GM, Jennings SG, Strickland EA (2015). PsyAcoustX: A flexible MATLAB(®) package for psychoacoustics research. Front Psychol, 6, 1498.
  11. Bidelman GM Jennings SG and Strickland EA (10/2015).
  12. 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.
  13. Jennings SG Ahlstrom JB and Dubno JR (12/2014).
  14. 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.
  15. Bidelman GM Schug JM Jennings SG and Bhagat SP (07/2014).
  16. Jennings SG (11/01/2012).
  17. 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.
  18. Jennings SG, Strickland EA (2012). Auditory filter tuning inferred with short sinusoidal and notched-noise maskers. J Acoust Soc Am, 132(4), 2497-513.
  19. Jennings SG (10/01/2012).
  20. Jennings SG (09/01/2012).
  21. Chintanpalli A, Jennings SG, Heinz MG, Strickland EA (2011). 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.
  22. Chintanpalli AK (04/01/2012).
  23. 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.
  24. Jennings SG (06/01/2011).
  25. Strickland EA (10/01/2009).
  26. 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.
  27. Jennings SG (04/01/2009).

Book Chapter

  1. Jennings SG (03/2019). “Digital Signal Processing”. SAGE.
  2. Jennings SG (01/01/2010).