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Intentional switching in auditory selective attention: Exploring age-related effects in a spatial setup requiring
Josefa Oberem1, Iring Koch2, Janina Fels1
1Institute of Technical Acoustics, Medical Acoustics Group, RWTH Aachen University, Kopernikusstraße 5, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
Acta Psychologica
|April 30, 2017
Summary
Older adults struggle to ignore distracting sounds, impacting auditory selective attention. While switching attention to a new sound source is preserved, suppressing irrelevant speech is more challenging with age.
Area of Science:
- Auditory neuroscience
- Cognitive aging
- Human auditory perception
Background:
- Auditory selective attention enables focusing on relevant sounds amidst distractors.
- Aging can affect cognitive functions, including attention and speech processing.
- Understanding age-related changes in auditory attention is crucial for audiological rehabilitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related differences in switching auditory selective attention.
- To assess the ability to intentionally shift focus between spatially separated speakers.
- To determine if older adults have more difficulty suppressing distractor speech.
Main Methods:
- A binaural listening paradigm was employed with 40 participants (20 young, 20 older).
- Participants listened to two simultaneous speakers from different spatial locations via headphones.
- Participants switched auditory attention based on visual cues and categorized spoken numbers, while ignoring a distractor.
Main Results:
- Older adults exhibited significantly slower reaction times and higher error rates.
- The ability to switch attention to a cued spatial location was similar across age groups.
- Older adults showed increased congruency effects and greater difficulty suppressing distractor speech.
Conclusions:
- The capacity to intentionally switch auditory attention to a new location is maintained in older age.
- Older individuals experience greater difficulty in suppressing irrelevant speech, impacting selective listening.
- These findings highlight age-related challenges in auditory filtering and selective attention.
