Different Attention Domains and Speech-in-Noise Performance: A Preliminary Study
Payton Guinn1, Ishara Ramkissoon2, Mark Hedrick3
1*Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, College of Allied Health Professions, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL.
Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
|April 17, 2025
Summary
Younger adults with better alternating attention skills improved speech-in-noise (SIN) understanding in auditory-only settings. This link was not found in middle-aged adults or for audiovisual SIN performance.
Area of Science:
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human Communication
Background:
- Auditory processing and attention are crucial for speech comprehension in noise.
- Cognitive flexibility influences how individuals adapt to changing auditory environments.
- Understanding age-related differences in attention and speech-in-noise (SIN) performance is important.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between five attention domains, cognitive flexibility, and SIN performance.
- To compare these relationships in auditory-only (AO) and audiovisual (AV) modalities.
- To explore potential age-related differences in younger and middle-aged adults.
Main Methods:
- Ten younger and 10 middle-aged adults with normal hearing participated.
- Speech-in-noise (SIN) performance was assessed using the Multimodal Lexical Sentence Test in AO and AV conditions.
- Five attention domains and cognitive flexibility were evaluated using the Attention Processing Training test and the Comprehensive Trail-Making Test.
Main Results:
- A significant positive correlation was found between alternating attention and auditory-only SIN performance in younger adults.
- This association between alternating attention and auditory-only SIN was not significant in middle-aged adults.
- Alternating attention did not significantly correlate with audiovisual SIN performance in either age group.
Conclusions:
- Younger adults with superior alternating attention skills leveraged contextual cues for better auditory-only SIN performance.
- Middle-aged adults did not show the same benefit from alternating attention for auditory-only SIN, despite comparable scores.
- The demands of audiovisual processing may have precluded the use of alternating attention in both age groups.
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