The contribution of age, working memory capacity and inhibitory control on speech-recognition-in-noise in young, and older adult listeners

• Purpose: The study aimed to investigate the relationship between speech recognition in noise, age, hearing ability, self-rated listening effort, inhibitory control (measured with the Swedish Hayling task) and working memory capacity (WMC) (measured with the Reading span test). Two different speech materials were used; the Hagerman test with low semantic context, and HINT sentences with high semantic context, masked with either energetic or informational maskers. Method: A mixed design was used. Twenty-four young normally-hearing (mean age 25.6 years), and 24 older, for their age, normally-hearing individuals (mean age 60.6 years) participated in the study. Speech-recognition-in-noise in both speech materials and self-rated effort in all four background maskers were correlated with inhibitory control, and WMC. A linear mixed effects model was set up to assess differences between the two different speech materials, the 4 different maskers used in the study, and if age and hearing ability affected performance in the speech materials or the various background noises.Results: Results showed that high WMC was related to lower scores of self-rated listening effort for informational maskers, as well as better performance in speech recognition in noise when informational maskers were used. The linear mixed effects model revealed differences in performance between the low context and the high context speech materials, and the various maskers used. Lastly, inhibitory control had some impact on performance in the low context speech material when masked with an informational masker.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

speech-in-noise

normal hearing

age

working memory

inhibitory control

listening effort

speech recognition.

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