Conclusions
These preliminary data suggest that EAS users experience better speech recognition when electric frequency-to-place mismatches are minimal and that the negative effects of larger magnitudes of electric mismatches are observed up to 6 months of listening experience. Methods to minimize electric mismatches, such as place-based mapping procedures, may support better early speech recognition for the population of patients similar to the participants in the present experiment. Ongoing work will evaluate the patterns of speech recognition and acclimatization to varying magnitudes of electric frequency-to-place mismatches with long-term device use.