Speech perception in noise, working memory, and attention in children: A scoping review

Abstract

PurposeSpeech perception in noise is an everyday occurrence for adults and children alike. The factors that influence how well individuals cope with noise during spoken communication are not well understood, particularly in the case of children. This article aims to review the available evidence on how working memory and attention play a role in children's speech perception in noise, how characteristics of measures affect results, and how this relationship differs in non-typical populations. MethodThis article is a scoping review of the literature available on PubMed. Forty articles were included for meeting the inclusion criteria of including children as participants, some measure of speech perception in noise, some measure of attention and/or working memory, and some attempt to establish relationships between the measures. Findings were charted and presented keeping in mind how they relate to the research questions. ResultsThe majority of studies report that attention and especially working memory are involved in speech perception in noise by children. We provide an overview of the impact of certain task characteristics on findings across the literature, as well as how these affect non-typical populations. ConclusionWhile most of the work reviewed here provides evidence suggesting that working memory and attention are important abilities employed by children in overcoming the difficulties imposed by noise during spoken communication, methodological variability still prevents a clearer picture from emerging.