Speech Perception Research Articles

The effect of noise on listening effort in children as measured using different methods: a systematic review and meta-analyses.

Listening effort increases as background noise levels rise, affecting both children and adults. Understanding the impact of increased listening effort and identifying effective methods to estimate it in children is crucial, as higher listening effort can hinder learning. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effects of noise on listening effort, as measured using various methods, in children aged 5 to 13years with normal hearing. Four scientific databases, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, were searched to retrieve 23 eligible articles. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies. Meta-analysis was performed according to different methods of listening effort [behavioral (single-task paradigm and dual-task paradigm), subjective ratings, and physiological (pupillometry)]. Single-task paradigm and subjective ratings showed a medium effect of noise on listening effort, which was significant. Dual-task paradigm and pupillometry did not show statistically significant effects of noise on listening effort. Further, speech perception tasks show a greater effect of noise on listening effort as compared to listening comprehension. Single-task paradigm and subjective rating methods revealed the negative effect of noise on listening effort during spoken language processing in children between 5-13years of age. Thus, a combination of these two methods might provide useful information regarding the effect of noise on this population. The heterogeneity in the findings could be due to themultidimensional nature of listening effort and lack of construct validity of the methods used to assess listening effort.

EXPRESS: Electrophysiological markers of adaptive co-representation in joint language production. Evidence from human-robot interaction.

The present study aimed to assess the extent to which human participants co-represent the lexico-semantic processing of a humanoid robot partner. Specifically, we investigated whether participants would engage their speech production system to predict the robot's upcoming words, and how they would progressively adapt to the robot's verbal behavior. In the experiment, a human participant and a robot alternated in naming pictures of objects from 15 semantic categories, while the participant's electrophysiological activity was recorded. We manipulated word frequency as a measure of lexical access, with half of the pictures associated with high-frequency names and the other half with low-frequency names. Additionally, the robot was programmed to provide semantic category labels (e.g., "tool" for the picture of a hammer) instead of the more typical basic-level names (e.g., "hammer") for items in five categories. Analysis of the stimulus-locked activity revealed a comparable Event-Related Potential (ERP) associated with word frequency both when it was the participant's and the robot's turn to speak. Analysis of the response-locked activity showed a different pattern for the category and basic-level responses in the first but not in the second part of the experiment, suggesting that participants adapted to the robot's lexico-semantic patterns over time. These findings provide empirical evidence for two key points: (1) participants engage their speech production system to predict the robot's upcoming words, and (2) partner-adaptive behavior facilitates comprehension of the robot's speech.

Presenting Natural Continuous Speech in a Multisensory Immersive Environment Improves Speech Comprehension and Reflects the Allocation of Processing Resources in Neural Speech Tracking.

Successful speech comprehension, though seemingly effortless, involves complex interactions between sensory and cognitive processing and is predominantly embedded in a multisensory context, providing acoustic and visual speech cues. Adding the perspective of ageing, the interaction becomes even more manyfold. The impact of cognitive load on speech processing has been investigated, however, characterized by a lack of realistic speech material and multimodality. In this study, we therefore investigated the effects of memory load on naturalistic immersive audiovisual speech comprehension in older adults with varying degrees of hearing impairment and cognitive capacities. By providing natural continuous multisensory speech, provided through virtual reality, we created an immersive three-dimensional visual of the speaker and manipulated the memory load of the natural running speech inspired by a traditional n-back task. This allowed us to quantify neural speech envelope tracking via EEG and behavioral speech comprehension in varying modalities and memory loads in a highly controllable environment, while offering a realistic conversational experience. Neural speech tracking depends on an interaction between modality and memory load, moderated by auditory working memory capacity. Under low memory load, there is an increase in neural speech tracking in the immersive modality, particularly strong for individuals with low auditory working memory. Visually induced performance improvement is observed similarly in high and low memory load settings on a behavioral level. We argue that this dynamic reflects an allocation process of sensory- and cognitive processing resources depending on the presented sensory- and cognitive load of natural continuous speech and individual capacities.

Binaural Fusion Sharpens on a Scale of Octaves During Pre-adolescence in Children with Normal Hearing, Hearing Aids, and Bimodal Cochlear Implants, but not Bilateral Cochlear Implants.

The breadth of binaural pitch fusion, the integration of sounds differing in frequency across the two ears, can limit the ability to segregate and understand speech in background noise. Binaural pitch fusion is one type of central auditory processing that may still be developing in the pre-adolescent age range. In addition, children with hearing loss potentially have different trajectories of development of central auditory processing compared to their normal-hearing (NH) peers, due to disruption of auditory input and/or abnormal stimulation from hearing devices. The goal of this study was to measure and compare binaural pitch fusion changes during development in children with NH versus hearing loss and different hearing device combinations. Interaural pitch discrimination abilities were also measured to control for pitch discrimination as a potential limiting factor for fusion that may also change during development. Baseline measurements of binaural pitch fusion and interaural pitch discrimination were conducted in a total of 62 (22 female) children with NH (n = 25), bilateral hearing aids (HA; n = 10, bimodal cochlear implants (CI; n = 9), and bilateral CIs (n = 18), with longitudinal follow-up for a subset of participants (18 NH, 9 HA, 8 bimodal CI, and 15 bilateral CI). Age at the start of testing ranged from 6 to 10years old, with a goal of repeated measurements over 3-6years. Binaural pitch fusion ranges were measured as the range of acoustic frequencies (electrodes) presented to one ear that was perceptually fused with a single reference frequency (electrode) presented simultaneously to the other ear. Similarly, interaural pitch discrimination was measured as the range of frequencies (electrodes) that could not be consistently ranked in pitch compared to a single reference frequency (electrode) under sequential presentation to opposite ears. Children with NH and HAs initially had broad binaural pitch fusion ranges compared to adults. With increasing age, the binaural fusion range narrowed by 1-3 octaves for children with NH, bilateral HAs, and bimodal CIs, but not for children with bilateral CIs. Interaural pitch discrimination showed no changes with age, though differences in discrimination ability were seen across groups. Binaural fusion sharpens significantly on the scale of octaves in the age range from 6 to 14years. The lack of change in interaural pitch discrimination with increasing age rules out discrimination changes as an explanation for the binaural fusion range changes. The differences in the trajectory of binaural fusion changes across groups indicate the importance of hearing device combination for the development of binaural processing abilities in children with hearing loss, with implications for addressing challenges with speech perception in noise. Together, the results suggest that pruning of binaural connections is still occurring and likely guided by hearing experience during childhood development.

Effects of phonetic training and cognitive aptitude on the perception and production of non-native speech contrasts

Abstract Research on second language (L2) speech learning suggests that incidental perception training can lead to the establishment of non-native phonological categories. The present study contributes to this line of enquiry by investigating how this training is mediated by individual differences in working memory capacity and domain-general auditory processing abilities. In our study, 130 native British English speakers without prior knowledge of Portuguese were randomly assigned to trained or untrained conditions. All participants completed a visual digit span task and an auditory processing test battery. We observed improvements from pretest to post-test in production only, but since both groups improved, these gains cannot be attributed to the incidental perception training. The analysis of the ID measures further confirms the important role played by auditory processing abilities in L2 speech learning. However, more research is needed to better understand the role of incidental perception training and the mediating role of cognitive aptitudes.

Salience-dependent disruption of sustained auditory attention can be inferred from evoked pupil responses and neural tracking of task-irrelevant sounds.

Stimulus-driven attention allows us to react to relevant stimuli (and imminent danger!) outside our current focus of attention. But irrelevant stimuli can also disrupt attention; for example, during listening to speech. The degree to which sound captures attention is called salience, which can be estimated by existing, behaviorally validated, computational models (Huang & Elhilali, 2017). Here we examined whether neurophysiological responses to task-irrelevant sounds indicate the degree of distraction during a sustained-listening task and how much this depends on individual hearing thresholds. N = 47 Danish-speaking adults (28/19 female/male; mean age: 60.1, SD: 15.9 years) with heterogenous hearing thresholds (PTA; mean: 25.5, SD: 18.0 dbHL) listened to continuous speech while one-second-long, task-irrelevant natural sounds (distractors) of varying computed salience were presented at unpredictable times and locations. Eye tracking and electroencephalography were used to estimate pupil response and neural tracking, respectively. The task-irrelevant sounds evoked a consistent pupil response (PR), distractor-tracking (DT) and a drop of target-tracking (ΔTT), and statistical modelling of these three measures within subjects showed that all three are enhanced for sounds with higher computed salience. Participants with larger PR showed a stronger drop in target tracking (ΔTT) and performed worse in target speech comprehension. We conclude that distraction can be inferred from neurophysiological responses to task-irrelevant stimuli. These results are a first step towards neurophysiological assessment of attention dynamics during continuous listening, with potential applications in hearing-care diagnostics.Significance statement Successful speech-in-noise comprehension in daily life does not only depend on the acuity of the auditory input, but also cognitive factors like attentional control. Being able to measure distraction-dependent neurophysiological responses to peripheral, task-irrelevant stimuli would enable monitoring the extent to which the attentional focus is instantaneously captured away from a target under sustained attention. Here we show that especially pupil response and neural tracking of distractor sounds reflect the degree to which people with both normal and elevated hearing thresholds are distracted. Such a measure could be used to non-invasively track the focus of attention and thus could find application in hearing care diagnostics, where cognitive factors like attentional control are being increasingly recognized as important.

Predicting hearing aids outcomes using machine learning.

Introduction The aim of this study is to measure the effectiveness of hearing aid fitting in improving understanding in quiet and in noise, and to investigate the factors that significantly influence these results. This study will be carried out through a retrospective analysis of the results obtained from patients fitted with hearing aids at hearing-aid centers between 2018 and 2021. This study explores and classifies the predictive factors of patient outcomes, looking at the impact of the choice of hearing aid technology (category level), the personalized adjustments made by the hearing care professional (amplification level, binaural loudness balancing) and the patient follow-up and daily use (data logging). Methods Hearing impaired people were fitted in hearing-aid centers from 2018 to 2021. This included 77,661 patients. In the first part of the study, the data are statistically analyzed, and various correlations are studied. Then, machine learning and feature explanatory algorithms are used for prediction, in particular, a neural network based on PyTorch and the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost). For explanatory power, the SHapley Additive exPlanation (SHAP) method was used to evaluate the individual contribution of each variable. Results Using predictive models (SHAP value and XGBoost), the effect of technology level on Speech Perception In Noise (SPIN) and Speech Perception In Quiet (SPIQ) scores is significant, and binaural loudness compensation is significant for improving test results by the same amount. Finally, linear relationships were found between the initial Speech Noise Ratio (SNR) and the adjusted SNR, as well as for the Speech Recognition Threshold (SRT). Finally, the effect of wearing hearing aids for more than 9 hours per day was analyzed and resulted in better recovery. This is a retrospective study. This bias is compensated by the large amount of data. Conclusion Big data analysis is a new method to evaluate predictive factors for hearing aid outcomes.

Bilateral Simultaneous Cochlear Implants: How Early Activation Influences Wearing Hours

Background/Objectives: Cochlear implantation (CI) is a transformative intervention for individuals with sensorineural hearing loss, providing auditory and speech perception improvements. Traditional CI activation occurs 4–6 weeks post-surgery; however, recent advancements allow for early activation within 1–2 days. The integration of data logging in modern CI systems offers objective insights into processor usage and auditory exposure, which are crucial for optimizing rehabilitation outcomes. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 63 patients with bilateral simultaneous CIs using MED-EL SONNET2/RONDO3 devices. Patients were classified into early activation (n = 30, activation within 1–2 days) and classical activation groups (n = 33, activation after day 2). Data logging metrics, patient demographics, and implant details were analyzed using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test and Poisson regression. Results: Daily processor usage did not significantly differ between groups (9.5 ± 3.0 h/day for classical vs. 9.4 ± 3.7 h/day for early activation, p = 0.927). Subgroup analysis showed a significant 18% increase in processor usage with each additional year of patient age (IRR = 1.18, p < 0.001) and a 15% decrease in usage with each year delay in implantation age (IRR = 0.85, p < 0.001) among early activation users. Switch-on frequencies were comparable between groups, with no significant differences observed (p = 1.0). Conclusions: Early activation is feasible and associated with consistent CI usage, providing potential benefits in auditory rehabilitation. Future research should explore its impact on long-term speech and language outcomes to inform evidence-based practices.

The Less Meaningful the Understanding, the Faster the Feeling: Speech Comprehension Changes Perceptual Speech Tempo.

The perception of speech tempo is influenced by both the acoustic properties of speech and the cognitive state of the listener. However, there is a lack of research on how speech comprehension affects the perception of speech tempo. This study aims to disentangle the impact of speech comprehension on the perception of speech tempo by manipulating linguistic structures and measuring perceptual speech tempo at explicit and implicit levels. Three experiments were conducted to explore these relationships. In Experiment 1, two explicit speech tasks revealed that listeners tend to overestimate the speech tempo of sentences with low comprehensibility, although this effect decreased with repeated exposure to the speech. Experiment 2, utilizing an implicit speech tempo task, replicated the main findings of Experiment 1. Furthermore, the results from the drift-diffusion model eliminated the possibility that participants' responses were based on the type of sentence. In Experiment 3, non-native Chinese speakers with varying levels of language proficiency completed the implicit speech rate task. The results showed that non-native Chinese speakers exhibited distinct behavioral patterns compared to native Chinese speakers, as they did not perceive differences in speech tempo between high and low comprehensibility conditions. These findings highlight the intricate relationship between the perception of speech tempo and the comprehensibility of processed speech.

Animal models of the human brain: Successes, limitations, and alternatives.

The last three decades of research in human cognitive neuroscience have given us an initial "parts list" for the human mind in the form of a set of cortical regions with distinct and often very specific functions. But current neuroscientific methods in humans have limited ability to reveal exactly what these regions represent and compute, the causal role of each in behavior, and the interactions among regions that produce real-world cognition. Animal models can help to answer these questions when homologues exist in other species, like the face system in macaques. When homologues do not exist in animals, for example for speech and music perception, and understanding of language or other people's thoughts, intracranial recordings in humans play a central role, along with a new alternative to animal models: artificial neural networks.

Inflammation biomarkers and neurobehavioral performance in rural adolescents

BackgroundSystemic inflammation has been associated with lower neurobehavioral performance in diverse populations, yet the evidence in adolescents remains lacking. Cytokines can alter neural network activity to induce neurocognitive changes. This work seeks to investigate the association between inflammation and neurobehavior in adolescents living in a rural region of Ecuador. MethodsWe examined 535 adolescents in rural communities of Ecuador (ESPINA study), 508 of which had neurobehavioral assessments (NEPSY-II) and circulating plasma levels of inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6, TNF-⍺, sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, SAA, and sCD14). Associations between inflammatory biomarker concentrations and neurobehavioral scores were examined using adjusted bivariate semi-parametric models with generalized estimating equations. A partial least square regression approach was used to create composite variables from multiple inflammation biomarkers and model their association with cognitive outcomes. ResultsHigher sCD14 and TNF-α concentrations were significantly associated with lower social perception scores, by -0.465 units (95% CI: -0.80, -0.13) and -0.418 units (-0.72, -0.12) for every 50% increase in inflammatory marker concentration, respectively. Similarly, every 50% increase in the inflammation summary score was associated with a significantly lower Social Perception score by -0.112 units (-0.19, -0.03). A greater inflammatory composite variable from seven markers was associated with lower scores in language (β = -0.11, p=0.043), visuospatial processing (β= -0.15, p= 0.086), and social perception (β= -0.22, p=0.005) domains. ConclusionsHigher levels of inflammation were associated with lower neurobehavioral performance in adolescents, especially with social perception. In addition, using a robust analytic method to examine an association between a composite inflammatory variable integrating seven markers led to additional findings, including the domains of language and visuospatial processing. A longitudinal follow-up of such investigations could unveil potential changes in inflammation-neurobehavior performance links through developmental stages and intervention opportunities.

The Association of Modified 5-Item Frailty Index on Perioperative Cochlear Implant Speech Perception.

This study aims to evaluate the potential association of perioperative hearing outcomes with frailty by Modified 5-Item Frailty Index (mFI-5). Retrospective cross-sectional study. Single-institutional study conducted at a tertiary care hospital between January 2018 and January 2022. All adult patients older than 50 years who underwent cochlear implantation (CI). Cochlear implantation. Hearing outcomes were measured using pre-CI and longitudinal post-CI quiet AzBio scores. Frailty was determined by mFI-5 scores (0 = not frail, 1 = prefrail, and 2+ = frail). Univariable and multivariable linear regressions, ordinal logistic regressions, and time-to-event curves were used to determine perioperative speech perception and likelihood of high-performance hearing (defined as ≥70% on AzBio). Of the 126 patients, the median age was 70 (63-77) years, 50% (63) were female, and 39% (49) identified as non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, or other. By mFI-5 scoring, 38% (48) had no frailty, with 34% (43) and 28% (35) scoring 1 and 2+, respectively. When adjusting for age, sex, race, and BMI, scoring 1 point on mFI-5 was associated with significantly lower pre-implantation and post-implantation AzBio scores (pre: = -15 [-26, -3.4], p < 0.05; post: = -14 [-25, -3.0], p < 0.05). When controlling for all covariates, prefrailty and frailty were associated with significantly decreased likelihood of high-performance hearing (prefrailty OR: 0.22 [0.07, 0.63], p < 0.01; frailty OR: 0.31 [0.10, 0.92], p < 0.05). Time-to-event curves demonstrate significantly reduced likelihood of reaching high-performance hearing within 7 months after CI in patients with mFI-5 scores >0 (p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that prefrailty is associated with worse pre-CI and post-CI hearing and lower likelihood of high-performance hearing within 7 months post-CI. Preoperative frailty screening in adult CI candidates may better inform providers of patients' long-term risk-to-benefit.

Channel crosstalk detected using ECAP measurements is associated with poorer speech perception in cochlear implant users

Channel crosstalk detected using ECAP measurements is associated with poorer speech perception in cochlear implant users

Neural Speech Tracking Contribution of Lip Movements Predicts Behavioral Deterioration When the Speaker's Mouth Is Occluded.

Observing lip movements of a speaker facilitates speech understanding, especially in challenging listening situations. Converging evidence from neuroscientific studies shows stronger neural responses to audiovisual stimuli compared with audio-only stimuli. However, the interindividual variability of this contribution of lip movement information and its consequences on behavior are unknown. We analyzed source-localized magnetoencephalographic responses from 29 normal-hearing participants (12 females) listening to audiovisual speech, both with and without the speaker wearing a surgical face mask, and in the presence or absence of a distractor speaker. Using temporal response functions to quantify neural speech tracking, we show that neural responses to lip movements are, in general, enhanced when speech is challenging. After controlling for speech acoustics, we show that lip movements contribute to enhanced neural speech tracking, particularly when a distractor speaker is present. However, the extent of this visual contribution to neural speech tracking varied greatly among participants. Probing the behavioral relevance, we demonstrate that individuals who show a higher contribution of lip movements in terms of neural speech tracking show a stronger drop in comprehension and an increase in perceived difficulty when the mouth is occluded by a surgical face mask. In contrast, no effect was found when the mouth was not occluded. We provide novel insights on how the contribution of lip movements in terms of neural speech tracking varies among individuals and its behavioral relevance, revealing negative consequences when visual speech is absent. Our results also offer potential implications for objective assessments of audiovisual speech perception.

Exploring the Effects of Vocal Training Programs on the Skills and Development of Chorus Performers.

Vocal training is a crucial component in developing a singer's vocal capabilities. It enhances the vocal quality and improves the overall vocal health. Through consistent practice and well-structured exercises, singers can achieve high control, clarity, and expressiveness. In this research, we aim to investigate the impact of a structured vocal training program on older choristers. This research includes 18 older choral singers (with ages above 50years), randomly assigned to either the study group or control group. Data were gathered through pretestand post test assessments of vocal function using perceptual voice analysis, self-assessments, and acoustic evaluation. The vocal training program was exclusively performed for the study group. Additionally, participant feedback and program effectiveness were collected through structured interviews. Respondents in the study group indicated substantial improvements in perceptual roughness, vocal clarity, jitter, shimmer, and pitch accuracy following the training session. However, assessments of subjective breathiness and effort, as well as phonational frequency range, revealed no significant differences. The participants also reported that the training program had a favorable impact on their voices. Overall, the findings suggest that structured vocal training can significantly enhance certain aspects of vocal performance in choristers. This research highlights the potential benefits of vocal training programs for improving vocal health and performance quality for older choristers.

Retrospective evaluation of velopharyngeal insufficiency treated with Orticochea pharyngoplasty in cleft palate patients.

This study evaluated the outcomes of perceptual speech, breathing, snoring, and nasal regurgitation following Orticochea pharyngoplasty, and investigated patient characteristics associated with the resolution or improvement of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) in cleft patients. The study involved a retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent Orticochea pharyngoplasty for VPI management between 2016 and 2024 in the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Woman-Mother-Child Hospital, Lyon, France. Demographic data, speech and breathing characteristics, and the presence of snoring and nasal regurgitation were recorded using a standardized protocol. Preoperative and postoperative VPI severity was assessed using the Borel-Maisonny scale. All 89 patients included in the study had at least minimal VPI preoperatively (stage IIB), with 83% graded as having moderate or severe VPI. Improvement was observed in 88.76% of the patients after one surgery, and in 98.9% following a second surgery. Orticochea pharyngoplasty improved physiological breathing rates by 22% and reduced nasal regurgitation in 75% of the cases. This indicated that Orticochea pharyngoplasty is a reliable, safe, and reproducible surgical technique.

Ensemble responses of auditory midbrain neurons in the cat to speech stimuli at different signal-to-noise ratios

Originally reserved for those who are profoundly deaf, cochlear implantation is now common for people with partial hearing loss, particularly when combined with a hearing aid. This combined intervention enhances speech comprehension and sound quality when compared to electrical stimulation alone, particularly in noisy environments, but the physiological basis for the benefits is not well understood. Our long-term aim is to elucidate the underlying physiological mechanisms of this improvement, and as a first step in this process, we have investigated in normal hearing cats, the degree to which the patterns of neural activity evoked in the inferior colliculus (IC) by speech sounds in various levels of noise allows discrimination between those sounds. Neuronal responses were recorded simultaneously from 32 sites across the tonotopic axis of the IC in anaesthetised normal hearing cats (n=7). Speech sounds were presented at 20, 40 and 60dB SPL in quiet and with increasing levels of additive noise (signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) –20, –15, –10, –5, 0, +5, +10, +15, +20dB). Neural discrimination was assessed using a Euclidean measure of distance between neural responses, resulting in a function reflecting speech sound differentiation across various SNRs. Responses of IC neurons reliably encoded the speech stimuli when presented in quiet, with optimal performance when an analysis bin-width of 5-10ms was used. Discrimination thresholds did not depend on stimulus level and were best for shorter analysis binwidths. This study sheds light on how the auditory midbrain represents speech sounds and provides baseline data with which responses to electro-acoustic speech sounds in partially deafened animals can be compared.

The Role of Reverse Linguistic Stereotyping in Thai English Learners’ Language Attitudes toward English Speakers

This study explores how reverse linguistic stereotyping (RLS) affects Thai English learners’ evaluations of English speakers and their choices of pronunciation models. Ninety-five first-year Thai English majors were divided into an uninformed group, unaware of speakers’ nationalities, and an informed group, knowledgeable of the same. Participants listened to six speakers both native and non-native and rated them using a modified verbal guise technique before choosing the speaker(s) they think exemplify good pronunciation models. Knowledge of the speakers’ nationalities was found to influence the participants’ social ratings and their selection of speakers as pronunciation models. This study contributes to understanding how listeners’ language perception may be shaped by expectations about a speaker’s social identity rather than the speaker’s actual linguistic abilities. This study advocates the importance of English language teaching (ELT) in addressing the issue of RLS and its impact on language perception, calling educators to raise students’ understanding of stereotypical judgments of language variation and promote unbiased communication.

The effect of screen time on auditory processing and working memory skills in tweens (pre-adolescents)

BackgroundThis study investigates the impact of screen time on auditory processing and working memory in tweens, considering the subtle relationship proposed by the Goldilocks Hypothesis. The research aims to contribute insights into the potential effects of different screen exposure levels on auditory processing and working memory skills, recognizing the prevalence of screen use among tweens.MethodFifty-seven tweens were randomly selected and categorized into three groups based on their daily screen exposure. Auditory processing and working memory were assessed by measuring temporal resolution, auditory closure, binaural integration, and digit span tasks. Comprehensive screenings for hearing, speech, language, and IQ skills were conducted, ensuring the inclusion of tweens with normal hearing and cognitive functions.ResultsThe study results revealed a non-linear relationship between screen time and auditory processing. Tweens with moderate screen exposure exhibited superior auditory processing skills, while high screen time was associated with deficits in temporal resolution, speech perception, binaural integration, and working memory. The Goldilocks Hypothesis was supported, indicating that too much screen time may have negative consequences, while too little exposure may not exploit the potential benefits of digital media usage. The findings emphasize the importance of moderation in screen time for optimal auditory processing and working memory in tweens. Prolonged screen exposure, especially beyond three hours daily, negatively affected auditory processing and working memory abilities.ConclusionThe study highlights the need for a balanced approach to screen time, aligning with the broader literature on child development.

Predicting Human Behavior by Voice and Face Modulation

The secret to clearly expressing one's views and ideas is communication. Speech is the most prevalent and efficient means for humans to communicate out of all the many types of communication. The Internet of Things (IoT) age is evolving quickly, making increasingly sophisticated technology accessible for daily use. Basic wearable gadgets to sophisticated selfdriving cars automated systems used in a variety of industries are examples of these applications. Intelligent apps mostly employ voice- based input, are interactive, and require little user effort to operate. Because of this, these computer programs must be able to fully understand human speech. The speaker's age, race, gender, language, and mood may all be inferred from a speech percept. An emotion detection system is integrated with a number of current voice recognition systems utilised in Internet of Things applications to assess the speaker's emotional state. One of these techniques for identifying human emotions (such as fear, neutral, anger, pleasure, disgust, sorrow, and surprise) is based on the technique for analysing facial expressions employing the popular deep learning