Aging and speech perception in complex listening environments

总结 中年人经常报告在不利的听力条件下理解语音的问题，即使 他们通常在常规听力学测试中表现出基本正常的结果。这些自我- 报告的问题可能与老年人表达的问题一样大或更大， 听力损失中年人听力问题的测量和自我感知之间的脱节 可能是因为，至少部分原因是，倾听对他们来说更费力。因为他们的问题并不明显 使用目前可用的评估措施，临床听力学几乎没有提供这些人在条款 识别或解决他们的听力问题。本研究的长期目标是发展评价 以及在衰老过程早期关注功能性听力的治疗方法。治疗听力问题 可以帮助减少与年龄相关的听力损失相关的负面结果（如 认知能力下降和发生痴呆症的风险）。本申请中描述的项目的重点是 量化认知负荷（即，努力）所需的中年成年人理解讲话的存在 不同类型的掩蔽音。认知负荷将使用生态有效的措施进行量化：双重- 与边走边听相关的任务成本;对先前听到的语音的记忆;以及主观评级 倾听的努力。本项目还将确定个人音频放大器（PSAP）对功能的影响 听力损失的中年人。这些设备，这是出售的柜台， 比传统助听器更便宜，因此可能比这些人更容易接受。 传统助听器在拟议的项目中进行的实验将确定 选择高端PSAP（当双耳和单耳使用时），以减少听力努力， 改善轻度听力损失的中年人的言语理解和空间听力能力。 测试将在单耳和双耳PSAP使用的对照现场试验前后进行，以便 确定驯化效果。这个项目的结果有可能改变我们评估的时间和方式。 治疗与年龄相关的听力损失。

Summary Middle-aged adults often report problems understanding speech in adverse listening conditions, even though they typically demonstrate essentially normal results on routine audiological tests. The extent of these self- reported problems can be as great or greater than problems expressed by older adults with considerably more hearing loss. The disconnect between measured and self-perceived hearing problems in middle-aged adults could be due, at least in part, to listening being more effortful for them. Since their problems are not apparent using currently-available assessment measures, clinical audiology has little to offer these individuals in terms of identifying or addressing their hearing problems. The long-term goal of this research is to develop evaluation and treatment methods that focus on functional hearing early in the aging process. Treating hearing problems in midlife could help to reduce the negative outcomes associated with age-related hearing loss (such as cognitive decline and risk of incident dementia). The focus of the project described in this application is on quantifying cognitive load (i.e., effort) required for middle-aged adults to understand speech in the presence of different types of masking sounds. Cognitive load will be quantified using ecologically-valid measures: dual- task costs associated with listening-while-walking; memory for previously heard speech; and subjective ratings of listening effort. This project also will identify the impact of Personal Sound Amplifier (PSAPs) on functional hearing in middle-aged adults with mild hearing loss. These devices, which are sold over-the-counter, are more affordable than traditional hearing aids and so might be more acceptable to these individuals than are conventional hearing instruments. Experiments in the proposed project will determine the effectiveness of selected higher-end PSAPs (when used both binaurally and monaurally) for decreasing listening effort, and for improving speech understanding and spatial hearing ability, in middle-aged adults with mild hearing loss. Testing will be conducted before and after controlled field trials of monaural and binaural PSAP use in order to identify acclimatization effects. Outcomes of this project have the potential to alter when and how we evaluate and treat age-related hearing loss.