New measures of masked text recognition in relation to speech-in-noise perception and their associations with age and cognitive abilities

• 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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