Predicting perceived communication difficulty from behavioural measures during dyad conversations affected by noise...

Recent research has proposed several behavioural measures as proxies for assessing communication difficulty caused by increased noise or compromised hearing. This study aimed to examine which of a selection of such measures best predicts perceived communication difficulty arising from noise or attenuated hearing.

Dyad conversations, prompted by a spot-a-difference task, were recorded twice under four conditions: in quiet with and without occluded ears, and in noise at 60 and 70 dBA without occlusion. After each conversation, participants rated their perceived conversational success, effort, and frustration that were consolidated into a single score of perceived communication difficulty. Behavioural measures included measures of speech production, turn-taking, and gaze movement.

Twenty-four older adults with normal hearing, forming 12 conversational pairs.

Communication difficulty scores increased with increasing noise and attenuated hearing. Each behavioural measure was sensitive to changes in noise and/or hearing. Increased vocal level and gaze movement best predicted perceived communication difficulty under increased noise, whereas no robust model fitted the hearing condition data.

In noisy environments, perceived communication difficulty may be assessed through measures of speech production and gaze, while further research is needed to identify behavioural markers that reliably reflect difficulty resulting from compromised hearing.