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Yang L, Wang S, Chen Y, Liang Y, Chen T, Wang Y, Fu X, Wang S. Effects of Age on the Auditory Cortex During Speech Perception in Noise: Evidence From Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. Ear Hear 2024; 45:742-752. [PMID: 38268081 PMCID: PMC11008455 DOI: 10.1097/aud.0000000000001460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Age-related speech perception difficulties may be related to a decline in central auditory processing abilities, particularly in noisy or challenging environments. However, how the activation patterns related to speech stimulation in different noise situations change with normal aging has yet to be elucidated. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of noisy environments and aging on patterns of auditory cortical activation. DESIGN We analyzed the functional near-infrared spectroscopy signals of 20 young adults, 21 middle-aged adults, and 21 elderly adults, and evaluated their cortical response patterns to speech stimuli under five different signal to noise ratios (SNRs). In addition, we analyzed the behavior score, activation intensity, oxyhemoglobin variability, and dominant hemisphere, to investigate the effects of aging and noisy environments on auditory cortical activation. RESULTS Activation intensity and oxyhemoglobin variability both showed a decreasing trend with aging at an SNR of 0 dB; we also identified a strong correlation between activation intensity and age under this condition. However, we observed an inconsistent activation pattern when the SNR was 5 dB. Furthermore, our analysis revealed that the left hemisphere may be more susceptible to aging than the right hemisphere. Activation in the right hemisphere was more evident in older adults than in the left hemisphere; in contrast, younger adults showed leftward lateralization. CONCLUSIONS Our analysis showed that with aging, auditory cortical regions gradually become inflexible in noisy environments. Furthermore, changes in cortical activation patterns with aging may be related to SNR conditions, and that understandable speech with a low SNR ratio but still understandable may induce the highest level of activation. We also found that the left hemisphere was more affected by aging than the right hemisphere in speech perception tasks; the left-sided dominance observed in younger individuals gradually shifted to the right hemisphere with aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liu Yang
- Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (Capital Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Songjian Wang
- Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (Capital Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Younuo Chen
- Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (Capital Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Liang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Fundamental Research on Biomechanics in Clinical Application, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ting Chen
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Fundamental Research on Biomechanics in Clinical Application, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Wang
- Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (Capital Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xinxing Fu
- Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (Capital Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Shuo Wang
- Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (Capital Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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Zhang Y, Callejón-Leblic MA, Picazo-Reina AM, Blanco-Trejo S, Patou F, Sánchez-Gómez S. Impact of SNR, peripheral auditory sensitivity, and central cognitive profile on the psychometric relation between pupillary response and speech performance in CI users. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1307777. [PMID: 38188029 PMCID: PMC10768066 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1307777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite substantial technical advances and wider clinical use, cochlear implant (CI) users continue to report high and elevated listening effort especially under challenging noisy conditions. Among all the objective measures to quantify listening effort, pupillometry is one of the most widely used and robust physiological measures. Previous studies with normally hearing (NH) and hearing-impaired (HI) listeners have shown that the relation between speech performance in noise and listening effort (as measured by peak pupil dilation) is not linear and exhibits an inverted-U shape. However, it is unclear whether the same psychometric relation exists in CI users, and whether individual differences in auditory sensitivity and central cognitive capacity affect this relation. Therefore, we recruited 17 post-lingually deaf CI adults to perform speech-in-noise tasks from 0 to 20 dB SNR with a 4 dB step size. Simultaneously, their pupillary responses and self-reported subjective effort were recorded. To characterize top-down and bottom-up individual variabilities, a spectro-temporal modulation task and a set of cognitive abilities were measured. Clinical word recognition in quiet and Quality of Life (QoL) were also collected. Results showed that at a group level, an inverted-U shape psychometric curve between task difficulty (SNR) and peak pupil dilation (PPD) was not observed. Individual shape of the psychometric curve was significantly associated with some individual factors: CI users with higher clinical word and speech-in-noise recognition showed a quadratic decrease of PPD over increasing SNRs; CI users with better non-verbal intelligence and lower QoL showed smaller average PPD. To summarize, individual differences in CI users had a significant impact on the psychometric relation between pupillary response and task difficulty, hence affecting the interpretation of pupillary response as listening effort (or engagement) at different task difficulty levels. Future research and clinical applications should further characterize the possible effects of individual factors (such as motivation or engagement) in modulating CI users' occurrence of 'tipping point' on their psychometric functions, and develop an individualized method for reliably quantifying listening effort using pupillometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Zhang
- Department of Research and Technology, Oticon Medical, Vallauris, France
| | - M. Amparo Callejón-Leblic
- Oticon Medical, Madrid, Spain
- ENT Department, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain
- Biomedical Engineering Group, University of Sevillel, Sevillel, Spain
| | | | | | - François Patou
- Department of Research and Technology, Oticon Medical, Smørum, Denmark
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Schiller IS, Aspöck L, Schlittmeier SJ. The impact of a speaker's voice quality on auditory perception and cognition: a behavioral and subjective approach. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1243249. [PMID: 38106381 PMCID: PMC10722086 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1243249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Our voice is key for conveying information and knowledge to others during verbal communication. However, those who heavily depend on their voice, such as teachers and university professors, often develop voice problems, signaled by hoarseness. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hoarseness on listeners' memory for auditory-verbal information, listening effort, and listening impression. Methods Forty-eight normally hearing adults performed two memory tasks that were auditorily presented in varied voice quality (typical vs. hoarse). The tasks were Heard Text Recall, as part of a dual-task paradigm, and auditory Verbal Serial Recall (aVSR). Participants also completed a listening impression questionnaire for both voice qualities. Behavioral measures of memory for auditory-verbal information and listening effort were performance and response time. Subjective measures of listening effort and other aspects of listening impression were questionnaire rating scores. Results Results showed that, except for the aVSR, behavioral outcomes did not vary with the speaker's voice quality. Regarding the aVSR, we found a significant interaction between voice quality and trial, indicating that participants' recall performance dropped in the beginning of the task in the hoarse-voice condition but not in the typical-voice condition, and then increased again toward the end. Results from the listening impression questionnaire showed that listening to the hoarse voice resulted in significantly increased perceived listening effort, greater annoyance and poorer self-reported performance. Discussion These findings suggest that hoarseness can, at least subjectively, compromise effective listening. Vocal health may be particularly important in the educational context, where listening and learning are closely linked.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel S. Schiller
- Work and Engineering Psychology, Institute of Psychology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Lukas Aspöck
- Institute for Hearing Technology and Acoustics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Sabine J. Schlittmeier
- Work and Engineering Psychology, Institute of Psychology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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4
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Laufs C, Herweg A, Antink CH. Methods and evaluation of physiological measurements with acoustic stimuli-a systematic review. Physiol Meas 2023; 44:11TR01. [PMID: 37857312 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6579/ad0516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Objective. The detection of psychological loads, such as stress reactions, is receiving greater attention and social interest, as stress can have long-term effects on health O'Connor, Thayer and Vedhara (2021Ann. Rev. Psychol.72, 663-688). Acoustic stimuli, especially noise, are investigated as triggering factors. The application of physiological measurements in the detection of psychological loads enables the recording of a further quantitative dimension that goes beyond purely perceptive questionnaires. Thus, unconscious reactions to acoustic stimuli can also be captured. The numerous physiological signals and possible experimental designs with acoustic stimuli may quickly lead to a challenging implementation of the study and an increased difficulty in reproduction or comparison between studies. An unsuitable experimental design or processing of the physiological data may result in conclusions about psychological loads that are not valid anymore.Approach. The systematic review according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis standard presented here is therefore intended to provide guidance and a basis for further studies in this field. For this purpose, studies were identified in which the participants' short-term physiological responses to acoustic stimuli were investigated in the context of a listening test in a laboratory study.Main Results. A total of 37 studies met these criteria and data items were analysed in terms of the experimental design (studied psychological load, independent variables/acoustic stimuli, participants, playback, scenario/context, duration of test phases, questionnaires for perceptual comparison) and the physiological signals (measures, calculated features, systems, data processing methods, data analysis methods, results). The overviews show that stress is the most studied psychological load in response to acoustic stimuli. An ECG/PPG system and the measurement of skin conductance were most frequently used for the detection of psychological loads. A critical aspect is the numerous different methods of experimental design, which prevent comparability of the results. In the future, more standardized methods are needed to achieve more valid analyses of the effects of acoustic stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Laufs
- HEAD acoustics GmbH, Ebertstraße 30a, D-52134, Herzogenrath, Germany
- KIS*MED (AI-Systems in Medicine), TU Darmstadt, Merckstraße 25, D-64283 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Andreas Herweg
- HEAD acoustics GmbH, Ebertstraße 30a, D-52134, Herzogenrath, Germany
| | - Christoph Hoog Antink
- KIS*MED (AI-Systems in Medicine), TU Darmstadt, Merckstraße 25, D-64283 Darmstadt, Germany
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Winn MB. Time Scales and Moments of Listening Effort Revealed in Pupillometry. Semin Hear 2023; 44:106-123. [PMID: 37122881 PMCID: PMC10147502 DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1767741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
This article offers a collection of observations that highlight the value of time course data in pupillometry and points out ways in which these observations create deeper understanding of listening effort. The main message is that listening effort should be considered on a moment-to-moment basis rather than as a singular amount. A review of various studies and the reanalysis of data reveal distinct signatures of effort before a stimulus, during a stimulus, in the moments after a stimulus, and changes over whole experimental testing sessions. Collectively these observations motivate questions that extend beyond the "amount" of effort, toward understanding how long the effort lasts, and how precisely someone can allocate effort at specific points in time or reduce effort at other times. Apparent disagreements between studies are reconsidered as informative lessons about stimulus selection and the nature of pupil dilation as a reflection of decision making rather than the difficulty of sensory encoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B. Winn
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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6
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Książek P, Zekveld AA, Fiedler L, Kramer SE, Wendt D. Time-specific Components of Pupil Responses Reveal Alternations in Effort Allocation Caused by Memory Task Demands During Speech Identification in Noise. Trends Hear 2023; 27:23312165231153280. [PMID: 36938784 PMCID: PMC10028670 DOI: 10.1177/23312165231153280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Daily communication may be effortful due to poor acoustic quality. In addition, memory demands can induce effort, especially for long or complex sentences. In the current study, we tested the impact of memory task demands and speech-to-noise ratio on the time-specific components of effort allocation during speech identification in noise. Thirty normally hearing adults (15 females, mean age 42.2 years) participated. In an established auditory memory test, listeners had to listen to a list of seven sentences in noise, and repeat the sentence-final word after presentation, and, if instructed, recall the repeated words. We tested the effects of speech-to-noise ratio (SNR; -4 dB, +1 dB) and recall (Recall; Yes, No), on the time-specific components of pupil responses, trial baseline pupil size, and their dynamics (change) along the list. We found three components in the pupil responses (early, middle, and late). While the additional memory task (recall versus no recall) lowered all components' values, SNR (-4 dB versus +1 dB SNR) increased the middle and late component values. Increasing memory demands (Recall) progressively increased trial baseline and steepened decrease of the late component's values. Trial baseline increased most steeply in the condition of +1 dB SNR with recall. The findings suggest that adding a recall to the auditory task alters effort allocation for listening. Listeners are dynamically re-allocating effort from listening to memorizing under changing memory and acoustic demands. The pupil baseline and the time-specific components of pupil responses provide a comprehensive picture of the interplay of SNR and recall on effort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrycja Książek
- 26066Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- 263099Eriksholm Research Centre, Snekkersten, Denmark
| | - Adriana A Zekveld
- 26066Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Sophia E Kramer
- 26066Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Dorothea Wendt
- 263099Eriksholm Research Centre, Snekkersten, Denmark
- Department of Health Technology, 5205Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
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7
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Zhang Y, Malaval F, Lehmann A, Deroche MLD. Luminance effects on pupil dilation in speech-in-noise recognition. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0278506. [PMID: 36459511 PMCID: PMC9718387 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
There is an increasing interest in the field of audiology and speech communication to measure the effort that it takes to listen in noisy environments, with obvious implications for populations suffering from hearing loss. Pupillometry offers one avenue to make progress in this enterprise but important methodological questions remain to be addressed before such tools can serve practical applications. Typically, cocktail-party situations may occur in less-than-ideal lighting conditions, e.g. a pub or a restaurant, and it is unclear how robust pupil dynamics are to luminance changes. In this study, we first used a well-known paradigm where sentences were presented at different signal-to-noise ratios (SNR), all conducive of good intelligibility. This enabled us to replicate findings, e.g. a larger and later peak pupil dilation (PPD) at adverse SNR, or when the sentences were misunderstood, and to investigate the dependency of the PPD on sentence duration. A second experiment reiterated two of the SNR levels, 0 and +14 dB, but measured at 0, 75, and 220 lux. The results showed that the impact of luminance on the SNR effect was non-monotonic (sub-optimal in darkness or in bright light), and as such, there is no trivial way to derive pupillary metrics that are robust to differences in background light, posing considerable constraints for applications of pupillometry in daily life. Our findings raise an under-examined but crucial issue when designing and understanding listening effort studies using pupillometry, and offer important insights to future clinical application of pupillometry across sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Zhang
- Department of Otolaryngology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, Montreal, Canada
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology, Montreal, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Florian Malaval
- Department of Otolaryngology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Alexandre Lehmann
- Department of Otolaryngology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, Montreal, Canada
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology, Montreal, Canada
| | - Mickael L. D. Deroche
- Department of Otolaryngology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, Montreal, Canada
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
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8
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Micula A, Rönnberg J, Książek P, Murmu Nielsen R, Wendt D, Fiedler L, Ng EHN. A Glimpse of Memory Through the Eyes: Pupillary Responses Measured During Encoding Reflect the Likelihood of Subsequent Memory Recall in an Auditory Free Recall Test. Trends Hear 2022; 26:23312165221130581. [PMID: 36305085 PMCID: PMC9620000 DOI: 10.1177/23312165221130581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of the current study was to investigate whether task-evoked pupillary
responses measured during encoding, individual working memory capacity and noise
reduction in hearing aids were associated with the likelihood of subsequently
recalling an item in an auditory free recall test combined with pupillometry.
Participants with mild to moderately severe symmetrical sensorineural hearing
loss (n = 21) were included. The Sentence-final Word Identification and Recall
(SWIR) test was administered in a background noise composed of sixteen talkers
with noise reduction in hearing aids activated and deactivated. The task-evoked
peak pupil dilation (PPD) was measured. The Reading Span (RS) test was used as a
measure of individual working memory capacity. Larger PPD at a single trial
level was significantly associated with higher likelihood of subsequently
recalling a word, presumably reflecting the intensity of attention devoted
during encoding. There was no clear evidence of a significant relationship
between working memory capacity and subsequent memory recall, which may be
attributed to the SWIR test and RS test being administered in different
modalities, as well as differences in task characteristics. Noise reduction did
not have a significant effect on subsequent memory recall. This may be due to
the background noise not having a detrimental effect on attentional processing
at the favorable signal-to-noise ratio levels at which the test was
conducted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreea Micula
- Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linnaeus Centre
HEAD, Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Linköping
University, Linköping, Sweden,Andreea Micula, Department of Behavioural
Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden.
| | - Jerker Rönnberg
- Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linnaeus Centre
HEAD, Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Linköping
University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Patrycja Książek
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Otolaryngology-Head and
Neck Surgery, Ear and Hearing, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
Amsterdam, The Netherlands,Eriksholm Research Centre, Snekkersten, Denmark
| | | | - Dorothea Wendt
- Eriksholm Research Centre, Snekkersten, Denmark,Hearing Systems, Hearing Systems Group, Department of Electrical
Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Elaine Hoi Ning Ng
- Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linnaeus Centre
HEAD, Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Linköping
University, Linköping, Sweden,Oticon
A/S, Smørum, Denmark
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Winn MB, Teece KH. Effortful Listening Despite Correct Responses: The Cost of Mental Repair in Sentence Recognition by Listeners With Cochlear Implants. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:3966-3980. [PMID: 36112516 PMCID: PMC9927629 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-21-00631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Speech recognition percent correct scores fail to capture the effort of mentally repairing the perception of speech that was initially misheard. This study measured the effort of listening to stimuli specifically designed to elicit mental repair in adults who use cochlear implants (CIs). METHOD CI listeners heard and repeated sentences in which specific words were distorted or masked by noise but recovered based on later context: a signature of mental repair. Changes in pupil dilation were tracked as an index of effort and time-locked with specific landmarks during perception. RESULTS Effort significantly increases when a listener needs to repair a misperceived word, even if the verbal response is ultimately correct. Mental repair of words in a sentence was accompanied by greater prevalence of errors elsewhere in the same sentence, suggesting that effort spreads to consume resources across time. The cost of mental repair in CI listeners was essentially the same as that observed in listeners with normal hearing in previous work. CONCLUSIONS Listening effort as tracked by pupil dilation is better explained by the mental repair and reconstruction of words rather than the appearance of correct or incorrect perception. Linguistic coherence drives effort more heavily than the mere presence of mistakes, highlighting the importance of testing materials that do not constrain coherence by design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B. Winn
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis
| | - Katherine H. Teece
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis
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10
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Francis AL. Adding noise is a confounded nuisance. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 152:1375. [PMID: 36182286 DOI: 10.1121/10.0013874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
A wide variety of research and clinical assessments involve presenting speech stimuli in the presence of some kind of noise. Here, I selectively review two theoretical perspectives and discuss ways in which these perspectives may help researchers understand the consequences for listeners of adding noise to a speech signal. I argue that adding noise changes more about the listening task than merely making the signal more difficult to perceive. To fully understand the effects of an added noise on speech perception, we must consider not just how much the noise affects task difficulty, but also how it affects all of the systems involved in understanding speech: increasing message uncertainty, modifying attentional demand, altering affective response, and changing motivation to perform the task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander L Francis
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, 715 Clinic Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
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11
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Grenzebach J, Romanus E. Quantifying the Effect of Noise on Cognitive Processes: A Review of Psychophysiological Correlates of Workload. Noise Health 2022; 24:199-214. [PMID: 36537445 PMCID: PMC10088430 DOI: 10.4103/nah.nah_34_22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Noise is present in most work environments, including emissions from machines and devices, irrelevant speech from colleagues, and traffic noise. Although it is generally accepted that noise below the permissible exposure limits does not pose a considerable risk for auditory effects like hearing impairments. Yet, noise can have a direct adverse effect on cognitive performance (non-auditory effects like workload or stress). Under certain circumstances, the observable performance for a task carried out in silence compared to noisy surroundings may not differ. One possible explanation for this phenomenon needs further investigation: individuals may invest additional cognitive resources to overcome the distraction from irrelevant auditory stimulation. Recent developments in measurements of psychophysiological correlates and analysis methods of load-related parameters can shed light on this complex interaction. These objective measurements complement subjective self-report of perceived effort by quantifying unnoticed noise-related cognitive workload. In this review, literature databases were searched for peer-reviewed journal articles that deal with an at least partially irrelevant "auditory stimulation" during an ongoing "cognitive task" that is accompanied by "psychophysiological correlates" to quantify the "momentary workload." The spectrum of assessed types of "auditory stimulations" extended from speech stimuli (varying intelligibility), oddball sounds (repeating short tone sequences), and auditory stressors (white noise, task-irrelevant real-life sounds). The type of "auditory stimulation" was related (speech stimuli) or unrelated (oddball, auditory stressor) to the type of primary "cognitive task." The types of "cognitive tasks" include speech-related tasks, fundamental psychological assessment tasks, and real-world/simulated tasks. The "psychophysiological correlates" include pupillometry and eye-tracking, recordings of brain activity (hemodynamic, potentials), cardiovascular markers, skin conductance, endocrinological markers, and behavioral markers. The prevention of negative effects on health by unexpected stressful soundscapes during mental work starts with the continuous estimation of cognitive workload triggered by auditory noise. This review gives a comprehensive overview of methods that were tested for their sensitivity as markers of workload in various auditory settings during cognitive processing.
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12
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The Effects of Task Difficulty Predictability and Noise Reduction on Recall Performance and Pupil Dilation Responses. Ear Hear 2021; 42:1668-1679. [PMID: 33859121 PMCID: PMC8542077 DOI: 10.1097/aud.0000000000001053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Communication requires cognitive processes which are not captured by traditional speech understanding tests. Under challenging listening situations, more working memory resources are needed to process speech, leaving fewer resources available for storage. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of task difficulty predictability, that is, knowing versus not knowing task difficulty in advance, and the effect of noise reduction on working memory resource allocation to processing and storage of speech heard in background noise. For this purpose, an "offline" behavioral measure, the Sentence-Final Word Identification and Recall (SWIR) test, and an "online" physiological measure, pupillometry, were combined. Moreover, the outcomes of the two measures were compared to investigate whether they reflect the same processes related to resource allocation. DESIGN Twenty-four experienced hearing aid users with moderate to moderately severe hearing loss participated in this study. The SWIR test and pupillometry were measured simultaneously with noise reduction in the test hearing aids activated and deactivated in a background noise composed of four-talker babble. The task of the SWIR test is to listen to lists of sentences, repeat the last word immediately after each sentence and recall the repeated words when the list is finished. The sentence baseline dilation, which is defined as the mean pupil dilation before each sentence, and task-evoked peak pupil dilation (PPD) were analyzed over the course of the lists. The task difficulty predictability was manipulated by including lists of three, five, and seven sentences. The test was conducted over two sessions, one during which the participants were informed about list length before each list (predictable task difficulty) and one during which they were not (unpredictable task difficulty). RESULTS The sentence baseline dilation was higher when task difficulty was unpredictable compared to predictable, except at the start of the list, where there was no difference. The PPD tended to be higher at the beginning of the list, this pattern being more prominent when task difficulty was unpredictable. Recall performance was better and sentence baseline dilation was higher when noise reduction was on, especially toward the end of longer lists. There was no effect of noise reduction on PPD. CONCLUSIONS Task difficulty predictability did not have an effect on resource allocation, since recall performance was similar independently of whether task difficulty was predictable or unpredictable. The higher sentence baseline dilation when task difficulty was unpredictable likely reflected a difference in the recall strategy or higher degree of task engagement/alertness or arousal. Hence, pupillometry captured processes which the SWIR test does not capture. Noise reduction frees up resources to be used for storage of speech, which was reflected in the better recall performance and larger sentence baseline dilation toward the end of the list when noise reduction was on. Thus, both measures captured different temporal aspects of the same processes related to resource allocation with noise reduction on and off.
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