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Related Experiment Videos

Aging: a switch from automatic to controlled processing of sounds?

Claude Alain1, Kelly L McDonald, Jodi M Ostroff

  • 1Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, ON, Canada. calain@rotman-baycrest.on.ca

Psychology and Aging
|April 7, 2004
PubMed
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Aging impacts automatic auditory processing, particularly for subtle sounds. While older adults show declines in automatic change detection, their voluntary attention can compensate for these age-related auditory processing changes.

Area of Science:

  • Auditory neuroscience
  • Cognitive aging
  • Human auditory perception

Background:

  • Aging differentially impacts sensory processing.
  • Both automatic and voluntary auditory processing are crucial for environmental awareness.
  • Understanding age-related changes in auditory perception is vital for maintaining quality of life.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how aging affects automatic and voluntary auditory information processing.
  • To compare neural activity related to auditory change detection across different age groups.
  • To determine if top-down controlled processes can compensate for age-related declines in automatic auditory registration.

Main Methods:

  • Behavioral auditory discrimination task with young, middle-aged, and older adults.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Electroencephalography (EEG) to measure neural activity.
  • Analysis of event-related potentials, specifically the mismatch negativity (MMN).

    • Main Results:

    • Neural activity for voluntary detection of auditory targets was similar across age groups.
    • Automatic processing, indexed by mismatch negativity, was elicited only in young adults for near-threshold stimuli.
    • Aging significantly affects the automatic registration of subtle changes in auditory streams.

    Conclusions:

    • Age-related decline in automatic auditory change detection exists.
    • This decline can be compensated by age-related enhancements in top-down controlled processes.
    • Cognitive strategies may mitigate the effects of aging on auditory perception.