Why might SRT be better than SDT?

The rationale behind the choice that SRT (Speech Reception Threshold) might be considered better than SDT (Speech Detection Threshold) is that SRT evaluates the listener's ability to understand and recognize speech, rather than merely detecting the presence of sound.

SRT necessitates that the individual not only hears speech but also comprehends it. This involves testing the threshold at which a person can recognize and accurately repeat back spoken words, which is crucial in real-world communication scenarios. Understanding speech requires cognitive processing, which makes SRT a more meaningful measure of a person's hearing capability in practical situations.

On the other hand, SDT primarily assesses the lowest sound level at which a person can detect the presence of speech sounds without necessarily understanding them. Therefore, while SDT can be useful in specific contexts, it provides less insight into a person's actual communicative ability than SRT, which focuses on speech comprehension.

This distinction highlights the relevance of SRT in evaluating a person's auditory function in terms of everyday language use, solidifying its preference over SDT in many clinical settings.