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Lexical Decision Task for Studying Written Word Recognition in Adults with and without Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment
Published on: June 25, 2019
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Spoken Word Recognition in Listeners with Mild Dementia Symptoms
Katrina S McClannahan1, Amelia Mainardi1, Austin Luor1
1Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Journal of Alzheimer'S Disease : JAD
|October 3, 2022
Summary
Mild dementia significantly impairs spoken word recognition, even in quiet environments. This difficulty in processing speech, particularly in noise, highlights the crucial role of cognitive resources in maintaining communication abilities.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Gerontology
Background:
- Speech understanding difficulties are common in older adults.
- Cognitive processes are vital for speech perception, especially in noisy environments.
- Dementia can limit cognitive resources, potentially hindering word recognition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of mild dementia on spoken word recognition.
- To assess speech perception in both quiet and noisy conditions.
- To understand the role of cognitive resources in speech processing for individuals with dementia.
Main Methods:
- Participants aged 53-86 with (n=16) and without (n=32) dementia symptoms (Clinical Dementia Rating scale).
- A word identification task was administered in quiet and noise at +6 and +3 dB signal-to-noise ratios.
- Two word difficulty levels (few vs. many similar-sounding words) were used.
Main Results:
- Individuals with mild dementia showed lower accuracy in both quiet and noisy conditions, even after adjusting for age and hearing.
- Adults with dementia correctly identified words approximately 80% of the time in quiet.
- Word difficulty did not influence task performance for either group.
Conclusions:
- Listeners with mild dementia experience challenges in spoken word recognition, both in quiet and background noise.
- These findings support the involvement of cognitive resources in spoken word identification.
- Cognitive decline associated with dementia impacts auditory processing and communication.
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