Editorial: The Role of Working Memory and Executive Function in Communication under Adverse Conditions.

Abstract

Communication is fundamental for social participation with communication difficulties often leading to social isolation and depression. Nevertheless, everyday communication is often hindered either by internal factors such as sensory loss, or by external factors including the background noise that commonly occurs in places where people meet, such as restaurants, schools, and railway stations. In such adverse conditions, working memory and executive functions have been proposed to play a critical role in communication. Thus, the role of cognition in hearing is a central theme in the field of Cognitive Hearing Science and has crystalized as one of the main themes of this research topic. This is reflected in papers reporting the role of cognition in hearing in persons with varying sensory and cognitive status and varying degrees of language knowledge, over the lifespan. Another theme represented in this topic is rehabilitation in the form of amplification and training. Importantly, the broad remit of the research topic is reflected in papers addressing cognition and communication in children with sensory and cognitive issues as well as adults and children who are profoundly deaf and use sign language to communicate. Apart from the impressive number of empirical studies, there are several theoretical contributions to the field.