Slower Speaking Rate Reduces Listening Effort Among Listeners With Cochlear Implants

Area of Science:

• Auditory Neuroscience
• Speech Perception
• Cochlear Implant Technology

Background:

• Adults with cochlear implants (CIs) often experience reduced speech intelligibility and increased listening effort.
• Understanding how speech rate and contextual cues impact processing load is crucial for CI users.
• Pupil dilation serves as a physiological measure of cognitive processing load and listening effort.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of slowed speaking rate on speech intelligibility in CI users.
• To examine the interaction between speaking rate, contextual cues, and listening effort.
• To assess the impact of these factors on the resolution of perceptual ambiguity.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-one CI users listened to sentences at original and slowed speaking rates (1.4x duration).
• Sentences varied in contextual information (high vs. low context).
• Speech intelligibility and pupil dilation (as an index of listening effort) were measured.

Main Results:

• Higher intelligibility was observed for high-context sentences and slower speech rates.
• Slower speech led to more substantial recovery of pupil size post-sentence, indicating reduced listening effort.
• The benefit of slowing speech was comparable to increasing contextual information.

Conclusions:

• Slowed speaking rate significantly reduces listening effort, especially post-utterance, for CI users.
• Contextual cues further enhance this effort reduction, particularly with slower speech.
• These findings suggest strategies to improve communication for individuals with cochlear implants.