Lombard effect, ambient noise and willingness to spend time and money in a restaurant amongst older adults

Abstract

Restaurants have become problematic over the last few decades as they are no longer just a site to grab a meal; they are a very important aspect of the social experience. Ambient noise in venues can vary in sound pressure levels adding to the overall dining experience. A hearing impairment (or loss) already creates a deficit in the quality of communicating with other individuals and many patients with normal hearing still have difficulty in noisy environments. Thirty-six older adults (60 + ) will be categorized into groups, based on their audiometric information, to evaluate (1) vocal effort, (2) disturbance in communication, (3) willingness to spend time and (4) money, and (5) the noise level threshold at which intelligibility breaks down in a synthesized restaurant environment. These results will represent an important step toward the establishment of ”age-friendly” communities.