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- Stenbäck, Victoria
(author)
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Speech masking speech in everyday communication : The role of inhibitory control and working memory capacity
- 2016
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Age affects hearing and cognitive abilities. Older people, with and without hearing impairment (HI), exhibit difficulties in hearing speech in noise. Elderly individuals show greater difficulty in segregating target speech from distracting background noise, especially if the noise is competing speech with meaningful contents, so called informational maskers. Working memory capacity (WMC) has proven to be a crucial factor in comprehending speech in noise, especially for people with hearing loss. In auditory scenes where speech is disrupted by competing speech, high WMC has proven to facilitate the ability to segregate target speech and inhibit responses to irrelevant information. People with low WMC are more prone to be disrupted by competing speech and exhibit more difficulties in hearing target speech in complex listening environments. Furthermore, elderly individuals with a HI experience more difficulties in switching attention between wanted and irrelevant stimuli, and they employ more resources and time to attend to the stimuli than do normally - hearing (NH) younger adults.This thesis investigated the importance of inhibitory control and WMC for speech recognition in noise, and perceived listening effort. Four studies were conducted. In the first study, the aim was to develop a test of inhibitory control for verbal content, and to investigate the relation between inhibitory control and WMC, and how these two abilities related to speech recognition in noise, in young normally – hearing (YNH) individuals.In the second study we aimed to investigate the same relationship as in the first study to further strengthen the validity of the inhibitory test developed, as well as the importance of lexical access. It was also an aim to investigate the influence of age and hearing status on lexical access and WMC, and their respective roles for speech recognition in noise in both YNH and elderly HI (EHI) individuals.Study one and two showed that, for YNH, inhibitory control was related to speech recognition in noise, indicating that inhibitory control can help to predict speech recognition in noise performance. The relationship between WMC and speech recognition in noise in YNH shifted in the studies, suggesting that this relationship is multifaceted and varying. Lexical access was of little importance for YNH, although for EHI individuals, both WMC and lexical access was of importance for speech recognition in noise, suggesting that different cognitive abilities were of importance for the YNH and EHI individuals Study three investigated the relationship between inhibitory control, WMC, speech recognition in noise, and perceived listening effort, in YNH and elderly, for their age, NH, individuals (ENH). In study four the same relationships as in study three were investigated, albeit in EHI individuals. Two speech materials with different characteristics, masked with four background noises were used. The results in study three showed that less favourable SNRs were needed for informational maskers than for maskers without semantic content. ENH individuals were more susceptible to informational maskers than YNH individuals. In contrast, in study four, more favourable SNRs were needed for informational maskers. In both studies, results showed that speech recognition in noise performance differed depending on the characteristics of the speech material.The studies showed that high WMC, compared to low WMC, was beneficial for speech recognition in noise, especially for informational maskers, and resulted in lower ratings of perceived effort. Varying results were found in study three and four regarding perceived effort and inhibitory control. In study three good inhibitory control was associated with lower effort rating, while in study four, individuals with a HI and good inhibitory control rated effort as higher.The results suggest that hearing status, age, and cognitive abilities, contribute to the differences in performance between YNH, ENH, and EHI individuals in speech – recognition – in – noise - and cognitive tasks.This thesis has, for the first time, demonstrated that a measure of inhibitory control of verbal content, is related to speech recognition in noise performance in YNH, ENH and EHI individuals. Results presented in this thesis also show that both WMC and inhibitory control are related to an individuals’ perception of how effortful a listening task is. It also adds to the literature that WMC is related to speech recognition in noise performance for ENH and EHI individuals, but that this relationship is not as robust in YNH individuals.
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| 2. |
- Karjalainen, Suvi, et al.
(author)
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Implementation and evaluation of a teacher intervention program on classroom communication
- 2020
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In: Logopedics, Phoniatrics, Vocology. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 1401-5439 .- 1651-2022. ; 45:3, s. 110-122
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Media frequently report on overall work-place challenges in Swedish schools, including teachers’ working conditions, their well-being, and students’ declining results. Language is the key to success in every school subject. Therefore, optimal language learning environments are important. Poor sound environments affect teachers’ vocal health, their general well-being, and students’ performance. To provide better conditions for teachers and students, it is necessary to combine optimized room acoustics with other preventive measures such as vocal training and evidence-based tools to improve classroom communication. Teachers play a key role in the classroom and need knowledge and skills in communicative strategies to ensure first-class communication. The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of an intervention program for primary-school teachers comprising strategies for enhanced language learning and interactions in the classroom, with focus on teachers’ verbal and body communication (voice, gaze, and gesture).Methods: Teachers (n = 25) from seven schools teaching in school year 3–6 participated. Assessments were made pre/post intervention and at 5-weeks and 3-months follow-up. The assessments included teachers’ self-assessments (questionnaires) of vocal health, self-efficacy, stress, burnout, and psychosocial work-environment.Results: The main results were significant decrease in voice problems at the 3-months follow-up and significant decrease of both stress and degree of burnout at 5-weeks follow-up. Self-efficacy score had increased significantly at 5-week follow-up.Conclusion: It can be concluded that the intervention program improves teachers’ self-reported vocal health, decreases their perception of stress, and degree of burnout whilst increasing their sense of self-efficacy in classroom management.
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| 4. |
- Brännström, Jonas, et al.
(author)
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Octave illusion elicited by overlapping narrowband noises.
- 2011
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In: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. - : Acoustical Society of America (ASA). - 1520-8524 .- 0001-4966. ; 129:5, s. 3213-3220
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The octave or Deutsch illusion occurs when two tones, separated by about one octave, are presented simultaneously but alternating between ears, such that when the low tone is presented to the left ear the high tone is presented to the right ear and vice versa. Most subjects hear a single tone that alternates both between ears and in pitch; i.e., they hear a low pitched tone in one ear alternating with a high pitched tone in the other ear. The present study examined whether the illusion can be elicited by aperiodic signals consisting of low-frequency band-pass filtered noises with overlapping spectra. The amount of spectral overlap was held constant, but the high- and low-frequency content of the signals was systematically varied. The majority of subjects perceived an auditory illusion in terms of a dominant ear for pitch and lateralization by frequency, as proposed by Deutsch [(1975a) Sci. Am. 233, 92-104]. Furthermore, the salience of the illusion increased as the high frequency of the content in the signal increased. Since no harmonics were present in the stimuli, it is highly unlikely that this illusion is perceived on the basis of binaural diplacusis or harmonic binaural fusion.
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| 5. |
- Brännström, Jonas, et al.
(author)
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On the physiological location of otoacoustic emissions
- 2001
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- During recent years, much attention has been paid otoacoustic emissions in the clinical audiological practice. The received view locates their origin in the cochlea, more precisely in the outer hair cells. It is, however, still uncertain if there is an interaction between the ears regarding otoacoustic emissions. Earlier findings suggest an interaction at the level of the olivocochlear bundle. The aim of this pilot study was to find out if there is any interaction between the two cochleae in the case of otoacoustic emissions. Five subjects with normal hearing participated. Recordings were made of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions during the presentation of contralateral stimuli at three different frequencies (500, 1000 and 2000 Hz). In general, contralateral stimulation did not provoke otoacoustic emissions. It was concluded that otoacoustic emissions could be part of the fine-tuning mechanism in the cochlea. The frequency resolution, e.g. for speech, depends on very fast modulation of the incoming signal. Due to the neural distance, this modulation would lag behind, if otoacoustic emissions in one ear would effect the opposite one.
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| 6. |
- Brännström, Jonas, et al.
(author)
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Should the acceptable noise level be considered to be an acceptable noise range?
- 2013
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In: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. - : Acoustical Society of America (ASA). - 1520-8524 .- 0001-4966. ; 134:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The acceptable noise level (ANL) test is used to quantify the amount of competing background noise (BNL) that a listener is willing to accept when listening to speech at the most comfortable level (MCL). ANL is calculated by subtracting the BNL from the MCL. Most studies show large intersubject ANL variability and a few also demonstrate large intrasubject variability. Very few predictor variables for ANL have been identified and it has been proposed that the ANL depends on an inherent characteristic of the listener. However, some of the variability seems to depend on poor precision of the ANL test. After removing the effect of poor precision, some variability still remains. One possible explanation for these findings may be that the ANL is not a single level but a range of levels. Using recent data, this presentation examines the notion of an acceptable noise range.
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