| 1. |
- Karjalainen, Suvi, et al.
(författare)
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A pilot study on the relationship between primary-school teachers’ well-being and the acoustics of their classrooms
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 17:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although teachers’ well-being and vocal health are affected by noise, research on classroom sound environment from the teachers’ perspective is scarce. This study investigated the relationship between teachers’ well-being and classroom acoustics. The possible influence of teachers’ age, experience, teaching grade and class size on the relationship was also investigated. In this study, well-being refers to self-reported vocal health, stress, burnout and self-efficacy. Twenty-three primary-school teachers answered questionnaires on well-being. In each teacher’s classroom, the acoustical properties were measured with the variables reverberation time, clarity of speech (C50) and ventilation system noise (VSN). A series of non-parametric correlations were run to determine the relationship between teachers’ well-being and classroom acoustics. Initially, there was a significant bivariate correlation between burnout and VSN, as well as voice symptoms correlated with VSN and teaching grade. Although the results became not significant after correction for multiple tests, the findings indicate that higher degree of burnout is associated with higher levels of VSN in classrooms, and voice symptoms increase with higher VSN. Teachers working in lower grades had more voice symptoms than those working in higher grades. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
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| 2. |
- Karjalainen, Suvi, et al.
(författare)
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Teachers' voice use and wellbeing in relation to the classroom acoustics and background noise
- 2023
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 10<sup>th</sup> Convention of theEuropean Acoustics Association Forum Acusticum 2023. - : European Acoustics Association, EAA. - 9788888942674
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although many studies have shown that teachers' vocal health is challenged by noise and the room acoustics, research on classroom sound environment from the perspective of teachers' well-being is scarce. This study aimed to explore the relationship between teachers' wellbeing, voice use and classroom acoustics. In this study, wellbeing refers to self-reported vocal health, self-assessed level of stress, burnout and self-efficacy. Twenty-three primary-school teachers answered questionnaires on well-being. In each teacher's classroom, the acoustical properties were measured with the variables reverberation time, clarity of speech (C50) and ventilation system noise (VSN). A series of non-parametric correlations were run to determine the relationship between teachers' well-being and classroom acoustics. There was a significant bivariate correlation between burnout and VSN, (dBA), that, however, after correction for multiple analyses remained non significant, Voice symptoms correlated with VSN and teaching grade. This study indicates that higher degree of burnout in teachers is associated with higher levels of VSN in classrooms. Moreover, teachers' voice symptoms increase with higher levels of VSN. Teachers teaching lower grades had more voice symptoms than those teaching higher grades.
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| 3. |
- Brännström, K. Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Extended high-frequency pure tone hearing thresholds and core executive functions
- 2018
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Ingår i: International Journal of Audiology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1499-2027 .- 1708-8186. ; 57:9, s. 639-645
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To examine the relationship between extended high-frequency pure tone hearing thresholds (frequencies 10 to 14 kHz) and working memory capacity (WMC), inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. Design: Experimental study measuring correlations between different high-frequency hearing threshold measures and cognitive measures. Study: Pure tone audiometry was assessed in the extended high-frequency (frequencies 10, 12.5 and 14 kHz). Subjects were also tested regarding WMC, inhibitory control (response inhibition), and cognitive flexibility (information updating and shifting ability). Sample: Forty-three subjects between 20 and 29 years old with normal hearing (≤ 20 dB HL) in the frequency range between 0.125 to 8 kHz. Results: No significant correlations were seen between high-frequency hearing thresholds defined as average best and worst ear high-frequency hearing thresholds and the cognitive measures. Differences between the best and the worst ear showed significant negative correlations with inhibitory control and global executive function (combination score for WMC, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility). Conclusions: The present study suggests that global executive functions, more specifically response inhibition, and hearing threshold asymmetry in the extended high-frequency range are interrelated.
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| 4. |
- Brännström, K. Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Hearing thresholds and cognitive flexibility in young healthy individuals with normal hearing
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Audiology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1499-2027 .- 1708-8186. ; 59:8, s. 583-589
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Pure tone audiometry may seem to be a relatively easy task for the participant but it may involve cognitive as well as sensory abilities. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between hearing thresholds in the frequency range 0.125–8 kHz and the core executive function cognitive flexibility in healthy individuals with normal hearing. Design: Experimental study measuring correlations between different pure-tone hearing threshold measures and cognitive flexibility. Pure tone air conduction audiometry (frequencies 0.125–8.0 kHz) and two tests of cognitive flexibility (information updating and shifting ability) were conducted. Study sample: Seventy-two subjects (aged between 21 and 36) with normal hearing (<20 dB HL) for the tested frequencies. Results: Four measures of average pure tone hearing thresholds were negatively correlated with cognitive flexibility. Conclusions: Pure-tone air conduction hearing thresholds seem to be related to cognitive flexibility in healthy individuals with normal hearing.
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| 5. |
- Brännström, K. Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Immediate passage comprehension and encoding of information into long-term memory in children with normal hearing : The effect of voice quality and multitalker babble noise
- 2018
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Ingår i: American Journal of Audiology. - 1059-0889. ; 27:2, s. 231-237
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: This study examines how voice quality and multitalker babble noise affect immediate passage comprehension and the efficiency of information encoding into long-term memory in children with normal hearing. Method: Eighteen children (mean age = 9 years) with normal hearing participated. Immediate passage comprehension performance and delayed performance (after 5 to 8 days) were assessed for 4 listening conditions: a typical voice in quiet, a typical voice in noise, a dysphonic voice in quiet, and a dysphonic voice in noise. Results: Multitalker babble noise had a significant effect on immediate and delayed performance. This effect was more pronounced for delayed performance. No significant main effect of voice quality was seen on immediate or delayed performance. Conclusions: Multitalker babble noise impairs immediate passage comprehension and encoding of information into long-term memory for later recall in children with normal hearing. In learning situations where competing speech signals are present, background noise may reduce the prerequisites for optimal learning.
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| 6. |
- Brännström, K. Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Increasing cognitive interference modulates the amplitude of the auditory brainstem response
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Academy of Audiology. - : Georg Thieme Verlag KG. - 1050-0545 .- 2157-3107. ; 29:6, s. 512-519
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Despite the presence of efferent neural pathways from the cortex to brainstem, evidence for cognitive inhibition and sensory gating on the auditory brainstem has been mixed. Some previous studies have suggested auditory brainstem responses (ABR) can be affected by cognitive load whereas others have not. Purpose: The present study explores if the ABR recorded from adults with normal hearing was affected by increased cognitive load involving cognitive interference. Research Design: Within-subject repeated measures. Study Sample: Twenty young adults with normal hearing (ten females and ten males, aged 21–26 yr). Data Collection and Analysis: ABRs were collected with and without cognitive load (a visual Stroop task). Two measures of cognitive interference, that is, the ability to suppress task-irrelevant input, were derived from the performance on the Stroop task. Results: No main effect of cognitive load on ABR wave V amplitudes was found. Participants with higher cognitive interference showed increased response times and larger decreases in ABR wave V amplitudes from the no cognitive load to cognitive load conditions. Conclusions: The present study showed that ABR wave V amplitudes did not change with increased overall cognitive load (cognitive load with and without cognitive interference), but ABR amplitude was related to cognitive interference. Increased cognitive load in the form of increased cognitive interference could trigger cognitive inhibition and/or sensory gating to suppress the processing of task-irrelevant information at the level of the brainstem. This suppression could present as reduced ABR wave V amplitudes.
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| 7. |
- Brännström, K. Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Passage comprehension performance in children with cochlear implants and/or hearing aids : the effects of voice quality and multi-talker babble noise in relation to executive function
- 2020
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Ingår i: Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1401-5439 .- 1651-2022. ; 45:1, s. 15-23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Speech signal degradation such as a voice disorder presented in quiet or in combination with multi-talker babble noise could affect listening comprehension in children with hearing impairment. This study aims to investigate the effects of voice quality and multi-talker babble noise on passage comprehension in children with using cochlear implants (CIs) and/or hearing aids (HAs). It also aims to examine what role executive functioning has for passage comprehension in listening conditions with degraded signals (voice quality and multi-talker babble noise) in children using CI/HA. Methods: Twenty-three children (10 boys and 13 girls; mean age 9 years) using CI and/or HA were tested for passage comprehension in four listening conditions: a typical voice or a (hoarse) dysphonic, voice presented in quiet or in multi-talker babble noise. Results: The results show that the dysphonic voice did not affect passage comprehension in quiet or in noise. Multi-talker babble noise decreased passage comprehension compared to performance in quiet. No interactions with executive function were found. Conclusions: In conclusion, children with CI/HA seem to struggle with comprehension in poor sound environments, which in turn may reduce learning opportunities at school.
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| 8. |
- Brännström, K. Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Perceived listening effort in children with hearing loss : listening to a dysphonic voice in quiet and in noise
- 2022
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Ingår i: Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1401-5439 .- 1651-2022. ; 47:1, s. 1-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: The present study investigates the effect of signal degradation on perceived listening effort in children with hearing loss listening in a simulated class-room context. It also examines the associations between perceived listening effort, passage comprehension performance and executive functioning. Methods: Twenty-four children (aged 06:03–13:00 years) with hearing impairment using cochlear implant (CI) and/or hearing aids (HA) participated. The children made ratings of perceived listening effort after completing an auditory passage comprehension task. All children performed the task in four different listening conditions: listening to a typical (i.e. normal) voice in quiet, to a dysphonic voice in quiet, to a typical voice in background noise and to a dysphonic voice in background noise. In addition, the children completed a task assessing executive function. Results: Both voice quality and background noise increased perceived listening effort in children with CI/HA, but no interaction with executive function was seen. Conclusion: Since increased listening effort seems to be a consequence of increased cognitive resource spending, it is likely that less resources will be available for these children not only to comprehend but also to learn in challenging listening environments such as classrooms.
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| 9. |
- Brännström, K. Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Reading comprehension in quiet and in noise : Effects on immediate and delayed recall in relation to tinnitus and high-frequency hearing thresholds
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Academy of Audiology. - : Georg Thieme Verlag KG. - 1050-0545 .- 2157-3107. ; 29:6, s. 503-511
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: A common complaint by people with tinnitus is that they experience that the tinnitus causes attention and concentration problems. Previous studies have examined how tinnitus influences cognitive performance on short and intensive cognitive tasks but without proper control of hearing status. Purpose: To examine the impact tinnitus and high-frequency hearing thresholds have on reading comprehension in quiet and in background noise. Research Design: A between-group design with matched control participants. Study Sample: One group of participants with tinnitus (n 5 20) and an age and gender matched control group without tinnitus (n 5 20) participated. Both groups had normal hearing thresholds (20 dB HL at frequencies 0.125 to 8 kHz). Data Collection and Analysis: Measurements were made assessing hearing thresholds and immediate and delayed recall using a reading comprehension test in quiet and in noise. All participants completed the Swedish version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and participants with tinnitus also completed the Tinnitus Questionnaire. Results: The groups did not differ in immediate nor delayed recall. Accounting for the effect of age, a significant positive correlation was found between best ear high-frequency pure tone average (HF-PTA; 10000, 12500, and 14000 Hz) and the difference score between immediate and delayed recall in noise. Conclusions: Tinnitus seems to have no effect on immediate and delayed recall in quiet or in background noise when hearing status is controlled for. The detrimental effect of background noise on the processes utilized for efficient encoding into long-term memory is larger in participants with better HF-PTA. More specifically, when reading in noise, participants with better HF-PTA seem to recall less information than participants with poorer HF-PTA.
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| 10. |
- Brännström, K. Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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The influence of voice quality and multi-talker babble noise on sentence processing and recall performance in school children using cochlear implant and/or hearing aids
- 2019
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Ingår i: Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1401-5439 .- 1651-2022. ; 44:2, s. 87-94
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: This study examines the influence of voice quality and multi-talker babble noise on processing and storage performance in a working memory task performed by children using cochlear implants (CI) and/or hearing aids (HA). Methods: Twenty-three children with a hearing impairment using CI and/or HA participated. Age range was between 6 and 13 years. The Competing Language Processing Task (CLPT) was assessed in three listening conditions; a typical voice presented in quiet, a dysphonic voice in quiet, and a typical voice in multi-talker babble noise (signal-to-noise ratio +10 dB). Being a dual task, the CLPT consists of a sentence processing component and a recall component. The recall component constitutes the measure of working memory capacity (WMC). Higher-level executive function was assessed using Elithorn?s mazes. Results: The results showed that the dysphonic voice did not affect performance in the processing component or performance in the recall component. Multi-talker babble noise decreased performance in the recall component but not in the processing component. Higher-level executive function was not significantly related to performance in any component. Conclusions: The findings indicate that multi-talker babble noise, but not a dysphonic voice quality, seems to put strain on WMC in children using CI and/or HA. AbbreviationsCLPT competing language processing taskISTS international speech test signalSLP speech and language pathologistsWMC working memory capacity.
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