Effects of hearing acuity on visual perception and cognitive function

神经科学和心理学中的一个基本问题是感觉敏锐度（例如，使用视觉、听觉、触觉等的能力）塑造行为，适应和认知过程，我们用来理解我们的世界，并在其中采取行动。拟议的计划采取创新的步骤来解决这个问题，通过调查一种形式的感官适应，当敏锐度在一个感官下降，从而迫使大脑使用其他感官或认知策略来补偿。例如，当听力损失降低听觉敏锐度和声音信息不太清晰时，个体更多地依赖视觉来交流和感知环境。虽然这证明了我们非凡的适应能力，但它也为了解偏向视觉的感觉系统如何影响多感官知觉，学习和认知灵活性提供了宝贵的机会。该计划将使用听力下降作为一个自然模型，以更好地了解健康的感觉系统的属性，并解决三个悬而未决的问题：（1）如何依赖视觉信息促进多感官认知？(2)为增强视力做好准备的“大脑状态”是否有助于一个人更好地学习视觉信息？(3)长期依赖视觉是否减轻了听觉感知所需的认知资源的负担？为了解决这些问题，该计划将培训一支由高素质人员（HQP）组成的多元化团队，并使用感知和认知测试以及使用尖端方法分析的大脑测量。所描述的研究将使用生态有效的音频和视听信号，如自然的人类语音，作为研究视觉感知偏差和多感官相互作用的基础，以扩大研究结果的普遍性和可用性。容纳该计划的培训环境为学生提供了高价值的机会，以发展他们的心理学和神经科学原理的知识，并教他们在沟通，批判性思维，统计建模，编程和数字信号处理的基本技能。该计划预计将产生新的理论见解听觉，视觉和整体大脑功能和行为之间的关系。所获得的知识对于传感工程中的若干应用是有用的（例如，听觉假体，如助听器和耳蜗植入物），优化的感觉学习和临床环境。HQP将学习宝贵的自然科学和工程技能，这将有助于他们成为下一代的研究人员，科学家和专业领导者。

A fundamental question in neuroscience and psychology is how sensory acuity (e.g., the ability to use vision, hearing, touch, etc.) shapes behaviours, adaptations, and cognitive processes that we use to understand our world and act within it. The proposed program takes innovative steps to tackle this question by investigating a form of sensory adaptation that occurs when acuity in one sense declines, thereby forcing the brain to use other senses or cognitive strategies to compensate. For example, when hearing loss reduces auditory acuity and sound information is less clear, an individual relies more on vision to communicate and sense the environment. While this demonstrates our remarkable ability to adapt, it also opens valuable opportunities to learn how sensory systems biased toward vision affect multisensory perception, learning, and cognitive flexibility. The program will use hearing decline as a natural model to better understand properties of healthy sensory systems, and addresses three unanswered questions: (1) How does a reliance on visual information facilitate multisensory cognition? (2) Do "brain states" that are primed for enhanced vision help a person learn visual information more optimally? (3) Does a long-term reliance on vision ease the burden on cognitive resources that are needed for auditory perception? To address these questions, this program will train a diverse team of highly qualified personnel (HQP), and uses perceptual and cognitive testing alongside brain measurements that are analyzed using cutting-edge methods. The studies described will use ecologically valid audio and audiovisual signals, such as natural human speech, as a basis for studying visual perceptual bias and multisensory interactions in order to amplify the generalizability and usability of findings. The training environment that houses the program affords high-value opportunities for students to develop their knowledge of psychology and neuroscience principles, and teaches them essential skills in communication, critical thinking, statistical modeling, programming, and digital signal processing. This program is expected to generate new theoretical insights into the relationship between hearing, vision, and overall brain function and behaviour. The knowledge gained is useful for several applications in sensory engineering (e.g., auditory prostheses such as hearing aids and cochlear implants), optimized sensory learning, and clinical contexts. HQP will learn valuable natural science and engineering skills that will help them become the next generation of researchers, scientists, and professional leaders.