In a speech presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Speech and Hearing Association (1974), the author discusses prospective direction for research in speech recognition and comprehension of the hearing impaired. A theoretical perspective focuses on the role of probabilities in the process of transmitting and receiving auditory messages. Research needs noted include the importance of investigating clients' information processing, of finding effective and economical hearing aid fitting procedures, and of developing computer programs for auditory training. (LS)