Hearing Loss Impacts the Temporal Patterning of Pupillary Dilation in Processing Spoken Stories

Area of Science:

• Auditory Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Silent pauses enhance speech recall and comprehension.
• The effectiveness of pauses varies across contexts.
• Age-related hearing loss may impact the benefits of time-restored speech.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if age-related hearing loss diminishes the benefits of time-restored speech.
• To examine the relationship between hearing ability and cognitive effort during listening.

Main Methods:

• Older adults (N=42) with varying hearing acuities listened to passages at normal, time-compressed, or time-restored rates.
• Pupil dilation was measured as an indicator of cognitive effort.

Main Results:

• The positive effect of pauses on recall was reduced in individuals with more severe hearing loss.
• Poorer hearing was linked to greater pupil dilation early in the passages, decreasing over time.

Conclusions:

• Hearing acuity influences the effectiveness of time-restored speech.
• Cognitive effort, measured by pupil dilation, dynamically relates to hearing ability and listening demands.