| 1. |
- Zekveld, Adriana, et al.
(författare)
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The Influence of Semantically Related and Unrelated Text Cues on the Intelligibility of Sentences in Noise
- 2011
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Ingår i: Ear and Hearing. - : Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins. - 0196-0202 .- 1538-4667. ; 32:6, s. E16-E25
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: In two experiments with different subject groups, we explored the relationship between semantic context and intelligibility by examining the influence of visually presented, semantically related, and unrelated three-word text cues on perception of spoken sentences in stationary noise across a range of speech-to-noise ratios (SNRs). In addition, in Experiment (Exp) 2, we explored the relationship between individual differences in cognitive factors and the effect of the cues on speech intelligibility. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanDesign: In Exp 1, cues had been generated by participants themselves in a previous test session (own) or by someone else (alien). These cues were either appropriate for that sentence (match) or for a different sentence (mismatch). A condition with nonword cues, generated by the experimenter, served as a control. Experimental sentences were presented at three SNRs (dB SNR) corresponding to the entirely correct repetition of 29%, 50%, or 71% of sentences (speech reception thresholds; SRTs). In Exp 2, semantically matching or mismatching cues and nonword cues were presented before sentences at SNRs corresponding to SRTs of 16% and 29%. The participants in Exp 2 also performed tests of verbal working memory capacity and the ability to read partially masked text. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanResults: In Exp 1, matching cues improved perception relative to the nonword and mismatching cues, with largest benefits at the SNR corresponding to 29% performance in the SRT task. Mismatching cues did not impair speech perception relative to the nonword cue condition, and no difference in the effect of own and alien matching cues was observed. In Exp 2, matching cues improved speech perception as measured using both the percentage of correctly reported words and the percentage of entirely correctly reported sentences. Mismatching cues reduced the percentage of repeated words (but not the sentence-based scores) compared with the nonword cue condition. Working memory capacity and ability to read partly masked sentences were positively associated with the number of sentences repeated entirely correctly in the mismatch condition at the 29% SNR. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanConclusions: In difficult listening conditions, both relevant and irrelevant semantic context can influence speech perception in noise. High working memory capacity and good linguistic skills are associated with a greater ability to inhibit irrelevant context when uncued sentence intelligibility is around 29% correct.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Besser, Jana, et al.
(författare)
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How Linguistic Closure and Verbal Working Memory Relate to Speech Recognition in Noise-A Review
- 2013
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Ingår i: Trends in Amplification. - : Sage Publications. - 1084-7138. ; 17:2, s. 75-93
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ability to recognize masked speech, commonly measured with a speech reception threshold (SRT) test, is associated with cognitive processing abilities. Two cognitive factors frequently assessed in speech recognition research are the capacity of working memory (WM), measured by means of a reading span (Rspan) or listening span (Lspan) test, and the ability to read masked text (linguistic closure), measured by the text reception threshold (TRT). The current article provides a review of recent hearing research that examined the relationship of TRT and WM span to SRTs in various maskers. Furthermore, modality differences in WM capacity assessed with the Rspan compared to the Lspan test were examined and related to speech recognition abilities in an experimental study with young adults with normal hearing (NH). Span scores were strongly associated with each other, but were higher in the auditory modality. The results of the reviewed studies suggest that TRT and WM span are related to each other, but differ in their relationships with SRT performance. In NH adults of middle age or older, both TRT and Rspan were associated with SRTs in speech maskers, whereas TRT better predicted speech recognition in fluctuating nonspeech maskers. The associations with SRTs in steady-state noise were inconclusive for both measures. WM span was positively related to benefit from contextual information in speech recognition, but better TRTs related to less interference from unrelated cues. Data for individuals with impaired hearing are limited, but larger WM span seems to give a general advantage in various listening situations.
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| 4. |
- Besser, Jana, et al.
(författare)
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New measures of masked text recognition in relation to speech-in-noise perception and their associations with age and cognitive abilities
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research. - : American Speech Language Hearing Association. - 1092-4388 .- 1558-9102. ; 55:1, s. 194-209
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: This research aimed to increase the analogy between text reception threshold (TRT) and speech reception threshold (SRT) and to examine the TRT's value in estimating cognitive abilities important for speech comprehension in noise. Method: We administered five TRT versions, SRT tests in stationary (SRTSTAT) and modulated (SRTMOD) noise, and two cognitive tests: a reading span (RSpan) test for working memory capacity, and a letter-digit-substitution test for information processing speed. Fifty-five normal hearing adults (18–78 years, mean = 44) participated. We examined mutual associations of the tests and their predictive value for the SRTs with correlation and linear regression analyses. Results: SRTs and TRTs were well associated, also when controlling for age. Correlations for the SRTSTAT were generally lower than for the SRTMOD. The cognitive tests were only correlated to the SRTs when age was not controlled for. Age and the TRTs were the only significant predictors of SRTMOD. SRTSTATwas predicted by level of education and some of the TRT versions. Conclusions: TRTs and SRTs are robustly associated, nearly independent of age. The association between SRTs and RSpan is largely age-dependent. The TRT test and the RSpan test measure different non-auditory components of linguistic processing relevant for speech perception in noise.
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| 6. |
- Besser, Jana, et al.
(författare)
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Speech-in-Speech Listening on the LiSN-S Test by Older Adults With Good Audiograms Depends on Cognition and Hearing Acuity at High Frequencies
- 2015
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Ingår i: Ear and Hearing. - : LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS and WILKINS. - 0196-0202 .- 1538-4667. ; 36:1, s. 24-41
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: The main objective was to investigate age-related differences on the listening in spatialized noise-sentences (LiSN-S) test in adults with normal audiometric thresholds in most of the speech range. A second objective was to examine the contributions of auditory, cognitive, and linguistic abilities to LiSN-S outcomes. Design: The LiSN-S test was administered to participants in an older group (M-Age = 72.0, SD = 4.3 years) and a younger group (M-Age = 21.7, SD = 2.6 years) with N = 26 per group. All the participants had clinically normal audiometric thresholds at frequencies up to and including 3000 Hz. The LiSN-S test yields a speech reception threshold (SRT) in each of the four speech-in-speech listening conditions that differ in the availability of voice difference cues and/or spatial separation cues. Based on these four SRTs, the scores were calculated for the talker advantage, the spatial advantage, and the total advantage as a result of both the types of cues. Additionally, the participants completed four auditory temporal-processing tests, a cognitive screening test, a vocabulary test, and tests of linguistic closure for high-and low-context sentences. The contributions of these predictor variables and measures of pure-tone hearing acuity to LiSN-S outcomes were analyzed for both the groups using regression analyses. Results: Younger listeners outperformed the older listeners on all four LiSN-S SRTs and all the three LiSN-S advantage measures. Age-related differences were larger for conditions involving the use of spatial cues. For the younger group, all LiSN-S SRTs were predicted by the measure of linguistic closure in low-context sentences; in addition, the SRT for the condition with voice difference cues but without spatial separation cues was predicted by vocabulary, and the SRT for the condition with both voice difference cues and spatial separation cues was predicted by temporal resolution at low frequencies. Vocabulary also contributed to the talker advantage in the younger group, whereas the spatial advantage was predicted by high-frequency pure-tone hearing acuity in the range 6,000 to 10,000 Hz (pure-tone average [ PTA] HIGH). For the older group, the LiSN-S SRT in the condition with neither voice difference cues nor spatial separation cues was predicted by age; their other three LiSN-S SRTs and all advantage measures were predicted by PTA HIGH. In addition, for the older group, cognition predicted LiSN-S SRT outcomes in three of the four conditions. Measures of auditory temporal processing, linguistic abilities, or hearing acuity up to and including 4000 Hz did not predict LiSN-S outcomes in this group. Conclusions: LiSN-S outcomes were poorer for adults aged 65 years or older, even those with good audiograms, compared with younger adults and also compared with people up to the age of 60 years from a previous study. In the present study, regardless of the types of cues, auditory and cognitive interactions were reflected by the combined influences on LiSN-S outcomes of high-frequency hearing acuity and measures of linguistic and cognitive processing. The data also suggest a hierarchy in the deployment of processing resources, which would account for the observed shift from linguistic abilities in the younger group to general cognitive abilities in the older group.
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| 11. |
- Koelewijn, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Processing Load Induced by Informational Masking Is Related to Linguistic Abilities
- 2012
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Ingår i: International Journal of Otolaryngology. - : Hindawi Publishing Corporation. - 1687-9201 .- 1687-921X.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is often assumed that the benefit of hearing aids is not primarily reflected in better speech performance, but that it is reflected in less effortful listening in the aided than in the unaided condition. Before being able to assess such a hearing aid benefit the present study examined how processing load while listening to masked speech relates to inter-individual differences in cognitive abilities relevant for language processing. Pupil dilation was measured in thirty-two normal hearing participants while listening to sentences masked by fluctuating noise or interfering speech at either 50% and 84% intelligibility. Additionally, working memory capacity, inhibition of irrelevant information, and written text reception was tested. Pupil responses were larger during interfering speech as compared to fluctuating noise. This effect was independent of intelligibility level. Regression analysis revealed that high working memory capacity, better inhibition, and better text reception were related to better speech reception thresholds. Apart from a positive relation to speech recognition, better inhibition and better text reception are also positively related to larger pupil dilation in the single-talker masker conditions. We conclude that better cognitive abilities not only relate to better speech perception, but also partly explain higher processing load in complex listening conditions.
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| 12. |
- Koelewijn, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Pupil Dilation Uncovers Extra Listening Effort in the Presence of a Single-Talker Masker
- 2012
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Ingår i: Ear and Hearing. - : Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins. - 0196-0202 .- 1538-4667. ; 33:2, s. 291-300
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Recent research has demonstrated that pupil dilation, a measure of mental effort (cognitive processing load), is sensitive to differences in speech intelligibility. The present study extends this outcome by examining the effects of masker type and age on the speech reception threshold (SRT) and mental effort. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanDesign: In young and middle-aged adults, pupil dilation was measured while they performed an SRT task, in which spoken sentences were presented in stationary noise, fluctuating noise, or together with a single-talker masker. The masker levels were adjusted to achieve 50% or 84% sentence intelligibility. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanResults: The results show better SRTs for fluctuating noise and a single-talker masker compared with stationary noise, which replicates results of previous studies. The peak pupil dilation, reflecting mental effort, was larger in the single-interfering speaker condition compared with the other masker conditions. Remarkably, in contrast to the thresholds, no differences in peak dilation were observed between fluctuating noise and stationary noise. This effect was independent of the intelligibility level and age. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanConclusions: To maintain similar intelligibility levels, participants needed more mental effort for speech perception in the presence of a single-talker masker and then with the two other types of maskers. This suggests an additive interfering effect of speech information from the single-talker masker. The dissociation between these performance and mental effort measures underlines the importance of including measurements of pupil dilation as an independent index of mental effort during speech processing in different types of noisy environments and at different intelligibility levels.
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| 13. |
- Koelewijn, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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The influence of informational masking on speech perception and pupil response in adults with hearing impairment
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. - : American Institute of Physics (AIP). - 0001-4966 .- 1520-8524. ; 135:3, s. 1596-1606
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A recent pupillometry study on adults with normal hearing indicates that the pupil response during speech perception (cognitive processing load) is strongly affected by the type of speech masker. The current study extends these results by recording the pupil response in 32 participants with hearing impairment (mean age 59 yr) while they were listening to sentences masked by fluctuating noise or a single-talker. Efforts were made to improve audibility of all sounds by means of spectral shaping. Additionally, participants performed tests measuring verbal working memory capacity, inhibition of interfering information in working memory, and linguistic closure. The results showed worse speech reception thresholds for speech masked by single-talker speech compared to fluctuating noise. In line with previous results for participants with normal hearing, the pupil response was larger when listening to speech masked by a single-talker compared to fluctuating noise. Regression analysis revealed that larger working memory capacity and better inhibition of interfering information related to better speech reception thresholds, but these variables did not account for inter-individual differences in the pupil response. In conclusion, people with hearing impairment show more cognitive load during speech processing when there is interfering speech compared to fluctuating noise. (C) 2014 Acoustical Society of America.
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Zekveld, Adriana A, et al.
(författare)
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Task Difficulty Differentially Affects Two Measures of Processing Load: The Pupil Response During Sentence Processing and Delayed Cued Recall of the Sentences
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research. - : American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. - 1092-4388 .- 1558-9102. ; 56:4, s. 1156-1165
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: In this study, the authors assessed the influence of masking level (29% or 71% sentence perception) and test modality on the processing load during language perception as reflected by the pupil response. In addition, the authors administered a delayed cued stimulus recall test to examine whether processing load affected the encoding of the stimuli in memory. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanMethod: Participants performed speech and text reception threshold tests, during which the pupil response was measured. In the cued recall test, the first half of correctly perceived sentences was presented, and participants were asked to complete the sentences. Reading and listening span tests of working memory capacity were presented as well. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanResults: Regardless of test modality, the pupil response indicated higher processing load in the 29% condition than in the 71% correct condition. Cued recall was better for the 29% condition. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanConclusions: The consistent effect of masking level on the pupil response during listening and reading support the validity of the pupil response as a measure of processing load during language perception. The absent relation between pupil response and cued recall may suggest that cued recall is not directly related to processing load, as reflected by the pupil response.
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