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Cognitive abilities predict naturalistic speech length in older adults
Patrick Neff1,2, Burcu Demiray3,4, Mike Martin3,4
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. patrick.neff@uzh.ch.
Scientific Reports
|December 27, 2024
Summary
Older adults with better working memory, cognitive speed, and semantic fluency speak more in daily life. Social relationships and communication are key to maintaining cognitive function in aging.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology and Cognitive Science
- Psycholinguistics and Communication Studies
- Artificial Intelligence in Behavioral Research
Background:
- Social engagement is linked to cognitive maintenance in older adults, but definitions vary, hindering research.
- Objective measures of real-life social activity are needed to understand its impact on cognition.
- Length of own speech is a novel, unobtrusive indicator of social engagement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between real-life speech patterns and cognitive functioning in older adults.
- To explore sociodemographic factors influencing speech production and cognitive abilities.
- To utilize advanced technology for objective measurement of social communication.
Main Methods:
- Audio recordings of 83 older adults were analyzed using a machine learning speaker identification algorithm.
- Elastic Net regularized regression was employed to assess relationships between variables.
- Cognitive measures (working memory, cognitive speed, semantic fluency) and sociodemographic data were collected.
Main Results:
- Higher working memory, cognitive speed, and semantic fluency predicted increased own speech length.
- Lack of a partner negatively predicted speech length, while better hearing status correlated with lower speech frequency.
- Age was not a significant predictor or correlate in this study.
Conclusions:
- Objective measures of speech, like length of own speech, can serve as indicators of social engagement and cognitive health.
- Specific cognitive abilities are associated with real-life communication output in older adults.
- Future research can leverage technology for unobtrusive assessment of social interaction and cognitive function.
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