Listening effort: Are we measuring cognition or affect, or both?

Area of Science:

• Linguistics (Language in Mind and Brain)
• Psychology (Theory and Methods, Attention, Emotion and Motivation)

Background:

• Listening effort is crucial in various communication contexts, especially for nonnative speakers, the elderly, and those with hearing impairments or in noisy environments.
• The term "listening effort" broadly covers neural processing and affective responses, making objective quantification challenging.
• Existing methods may reflect a complex interplay between information processing systems and emotional/motivational reactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the theoretical, behavioral, and psychophysiological factors influencing the measurement of listening effort.
• To clarify the precise nature of what is being measured when "listening effort" is quantified.
• To enhance understanding of the multifaceted construct of listening effort in communication.

Main Methods:

• Examination of theoretical frameworks related to listening effort.
• Analysis of behavioral data associated with listening effort.
• Review of psychophysiological measures used to assess listening effort.

Main Results:

• Listening effort measurement is complicated by the integration of cognitive processing and affective/motivational states.
• A comprehensive understanding requires considering both the neural resources engaged and the subjective experience of effort.
• Distinguishing between different components of listening effort is essential for accurate assessment.

Conclusions:

• Objective measures of listening effort may not solely reflect processing demands but also emotional and motivational factors.
• Further research is needed to disentangle the various components of listening effort for more precise clinical and experimental application.
• Clarifying the measurement of listening effort is vital for improving communication strategies and interventions for diverse populations.