Speech Perception Abilities Research Articles

Event related potentials to native speech contrasts predicts word reading abilities in early school-aged children

Speech perception skills have been implicated in the development of phoneme-graphene correspondence, yet the exact nature of speech perception and word reading ability remains unknown. We investigate phonological sensitivity to native (English) and nonnative (Spanish) speech syllables within an auditory oddball paradigm using event related potentials (ERPs) collected from lateral temporal electrode sites in 33 monolingual English-speaking children aged 6–8 years (N = 33). We further explore the relationship between ERPs to English word reading abilities for this group. Results revealed that language stimuli (English, Spanish), ERP condition (standard, deviant), and hemisphere (left, right) all influenced the lateral N1 component. ERPs recorded from deviant English stimuli were significantly more negative within the left hemisphere compared to all other recorded ERPs. Mean amplitude differences within the N1 in left lateral electrode sites recorded in response to English phoneme contrasts significantly predicted English word reading abilities within this sample. Results indicate that speech perception of native contrasts recorded in left temporal electrode sites for the N1 component are linked to English word reading abilities in early school-aged children.

Evaluation of Central Auditory Processing in Individuals with Occupational Noise exposure

Abstract Background Prolonged exposure to high levels of occupational noise can cause damage to hair cells in the cochlea and result in permanent noise-induced cochlear hearing loss. Consequences of cochlear hearing loss on speech perception and psychophysical central auditory abilities have been well documented. Objectives the aim of this research was to explore central auditory processing in individuals with history of occupational noise exposure. Subjects and method sixty subjects aged between 20 and 50 years divided into 2 groups; control group (thirty normal healthy subjects), study group (thirty subject with history of occupational noise exposure). They were subjected to Basic audiological evaluation :Pure tone audiometry for frequencies 250-8000 Hz for air conduction and 500-4000 Hz for bone conduction, Speech reception threshold (SRT) using Arabic spondee words list (Soliman et al., 1985) and speech discrimination scores using Arabic phonetically balanced words (Soliman, 1976). And Tympanometry, central auditory processing questionnaire and Psychophysical central auditory tests that will be discussed later. Results Statistically significant difference was found between the study group and control group regarding left Dichotic digits test versionII (p = 0.020), The mean of SPIN either at Right or Left ear for study group was depressed in comparison to normal individuals, those differences were statistically highly significant (p < 0.001). Furthermore, there was a Highly statically significant difference in TCST (30%,60%), GIN test and DPT between study and control groups (p < 0.001) either at Right or Left ear. Conclusions Patients with occupational noise exposure had poor performance in all central auditory tests when compared with control. This means that occupational noise exposure can lead to impaired central auditory processing with subsequent in adults

The Effect of Hemodialysis on Spectral and Temporal Processing Abilities and Speech Perception in Noise among Individuals with Chronic Kidney Disease

Introduction: The effect of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on hearing is well documented in the literature. Several studies have investigated the effect of hemodialysis on the peripheral auditory system among individuals with CKD. However, studies investigating the effect of hemodialysis on speech perception and auditory processing abilities are limited. The present study investigated the effect of hemodialysis on few auditory processing abilities and speech perception in noise among adults with CKD. Methods: A total of 25 adults with CKD undergoing hemodialysis regularly participated in the study. Spectral ripple discrimination threshold (SRDT), gap detection threshold (GDT), amplitude-modulation detection threshold (AMDT), and speech recognition threshold in noise (SRTn) were measured before and after hemodialysis. Paired samples “t” test was carried out to investigate the effect of hemodialysis on thresholds. Results: Results showed a significant improvement for SRDT, GDT, AMDT, and SRTn after hemodialysis among individuals with CKD. Discussion: Hemodialysis showed a positive effect on speech perception in noise and auditory processing abilities among individuals with CKD.

Benefits of Auditory Training with an Open-Set Sentences-in-Babble-Noise

Auditory training (AT) has limited generalization to non-trained stimuli. Therefore, in the current study, we tested the effect of stimuli similar to that used in daily life: sentences in background noise. The sample consisted of 15 Hebrew-speaking adults aged 61–88 years with bilateral hearing impairment who engaged in computerized auditory training at home four times per week over a two-month period. Significant improvements were observed in sentences comprehension (Hebrew AzBio (HeBio) sentences test) with both four-talker-babble-noise (4TBN) and speech-shaped-noise (SSN) and in words comprehension (consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words test), following one month of AT. These improvements were sustained for two months after completing the AT. No evidence of spontaneous learning was observed in the month preceding training, nor was there an additional training effect in the additional month. Participants’ baseline speech perception abilities predicted their post-training speech perception improvements in the generalization tasks. The findings suggest that top-down generalization occurs from sentences to words and from babble noise to SSN and quiet conditions. Consequently, synthetic training tasks focusing on sentence-level comprehension accompanied by multi-talker babble noise should be prioritized. Moreover, an individualized approach to AT has demonstrated effectiveness and should be considered in both clinical and research settings.

Evaluating the Benefit of Hearing Aid Using Paired Words in Tamil

Purpose: Subjective measurements, such as speech audiometry, are essential to determine the perception of speech as it provides insight regarding perceptual abilities. The present study aimed to develop paired word test stimuli in Tamil and evaluate their utility for assessing the benefits of a hearing aid. Methods: The stimuli were 30 paired words which were paired to rhythm containing almost all vowels and consonants of the Tamil language differing in one or more distinctive features, such as place, manner, voicing features of consonants, and height, duration, and rounding features of vowels. The paired words test was administered to 60 participants with normal hearing and 60 participants with hearing impairment. The correct identification scores and their percentage were computed to notice the benefit provided by their hearing aids. Results: The overall performance of individuals with normal hearing on the paired identification was high, suggesting that these paired word test materials could be used for individuals with hearing impairment to assess hearing aid benefit. A greater improvement in recognition scores for paired words was obtained after being fitted with a hearing aid in individuals with hearing impairment. It was noticed that due to hearing loss, the audibility of perception reduces, yielding lower scores in paired word identification. Conclusion: When the proper fitting was done, the percentage of identification scores was increased. Therefore, the present study concludes that speech perception abilities can be evaluated and quantified using these paired word tests.

Long-term effects of second cochlear implantation with sequential bilateral cochlear implantation in Japanese children

ObjectiveThis study aimed to longitudinally evaluate speech perception ability and sound-field thresholds with the first, second, or bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) and MAP parameters of second CI in children. MethodsEighteen children who underwent bilateral cochlear implantation at Kyoto University Hospital were included. We evaluated speech perception under quiet and noisy conditions using the first, second, or bilateral CIs, CI-aided sound-field thresholds using the first or second CI, and MAP parameter values (C-levels, T-levels, and dynamic range) of the second CI of more than 5 years after the second implantation. ResultsPatients with a second CI after 7 years of age had significantly worse speech perception ability with the second CI even long after the surgery than those with a second CI before 7 years of age. CI-aided sound-field thresholds using the first or second CI were similar, regardless of the second implantation timing. Speech perception in noise with bilateral CIs was enhanced by the addition of a second CI, even after 7 years of age. Patients undergoing second cochlear implantation before 3.5 years of age showed significantly higher C-levels and wider dynamic ranges in the second CI MAP parameters. ConclusionsWhen the second implantation was performed after 7 years of age, the second CI effects were limited even with long-term use, which is attributed to unstable MAP parameters. The second CI-aided sound-field threshold contributed to the better outcome of bilateral CIs in noise, even if the second implantation was performed at age of ≥7 years.

Validating the Malaysian Mandarin paediatric speech perception (MyMaPS) test: examining age sensitivity and test-retest reliability

ABSTRACT The Malaysian Mandarin Paediatric Speech Perception (MyMaPS) test was developed to assess Mandarin-speaking children in Malaysia, a multilingual country in Southeast Asia (Lim et al., 2021). However, the digitized materials have not been validated yet among Malaysian Mandarin-speaking children. Therefore, further examinations are needed to validate the MyMaPS test. The current cross-sectional study is an extension of the Lim et al. (2021) study. In the current study, we examined the age effects and test-retest reliability of the MyMaPS test among Mandarin-speaking children (N = 136) aged 3;4–6;5 years old. Participants were grouped into four age groups (3-, 4-, 5-, 6-year-old) with equal numbers and gender distribution. Participants were assessed using the MyMaPS test which contains five subcategories (Category 1–5): Speech pattern perception (C1), Spondee perception (C2), Vowel perception (C3), Consonant perception (C4), and Tone perception (C5). The Tone perception (C5) subcategory is further divided into six subtests according to the tonal contrasts. The MyMaPS test was repeated among 20% of the participants to examine test-retest reliability. This study found significant age effects (p < .05) for all subcategories (C1 – C5) in the MyMaPS test. Generally, the 5- to 6-year-old groups performed significantly better than the 3- and 4-year-old groups, particularly in consonant perception (C4) and tone perception (C5). Intraclass correlation coefficient values (.50 – .88) suggested moderate to good test-retest reliability. The results of this study suggested that the MyMaPS test could be a suitable and reliable test for evaluating the Mandarin speech perception ability among Malaysian Chinese-speaking children.

Test–retest Reliability of Acceptable Noise Level in Kannada-speaking Children with Normal Hearing Sensitivity

Introduction: Understanding speech accurately in the presence of noise is crucial for the development of learning speech, language, and educational skills in children. There are various audiological procedures available to check the ability of speech perception in the presence of noise. Acceptable noise level (ANL) measures the individual’s ability to tolerate the amount of background noise while listening to speech. Though, ANL has been shown to be clinically effective measure in children and adults its test- retest reliability in children is not well understood. Hence the present study was carried out to establish ANL using Kannada stimuli in native Kannada speaking children with normal hearing sensitivity and to check the test-retest reliability of the measure in them. Method: The study included a total of 61 native Kannada speaking children within the age range of 9-12years. Most Comfortable Level (MCL) and Background Noise Level (BNL) were established using standard procedures. The ANL was obtained by subtracting the BNL value with MCL for each participant. Results: The results revealed that there exists unacceptable reliability in MCL, BNL and ANL measures in native Kannada speaking children with normal hearing sensitivity using Kannada speech stimulus. This indicates that the ANL needs to be interpreted with caution in Children. Conclusion: The current study findings highlight on the importance of exploring these measures in children of various age groups to understand the developmental trend and age of maturation of ANL measure.

Attentional modulation of neural sound tracking in children with and without dyslexia.

Auditory selective attention forms an important foundation of children's learning by enabling the prioritisation and encoding of relevant stimuli. It may also influence reading development, which relies on metalinguistic skills including the awareness of the sound structure of spoken language. Reports of attentional impairments and speech perception difficulties in noisy environments in dyslexic readers are also suggestive of the putative contribution of auditory attention to reading development. To date, it is unclear whether non-speech selective attention and its underlying neural mechanisms are impaired in children with dyslexia and to which extent these deficits relate to individual reading and speech perception abilities in suboptimal listening conditions. In this EEG study, we assessed non-speech sustained auditory selective attention in 106 7-to-12-year-old children with and without dyslexia. Children attended to one of two tone streams, detecting occasional sequence repeats in the attended stream, and performed a speech-in-speech perception task. Results show that when children directed their attention to one stream, inter-trial-phase-coherence at the attended rate increased in fronto-central sites; this, in turn, was associated with better target detection. Behavioural and neural indices of attention did not systematically differ as a function of dyslexia diagnosis. However, behavioural indices of attention did explain individual differences in reading fluency and speech-in-speech perception abilities: both these skills were impaired in dyslexic readers. Taken together, our results show that children with dyslexia do not show group-level auditory attention deficits but these deficits may represent a risk for developing reading impairments and problems with speech perception in complex acoustic environments. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Non-speech sustained auditory selective attention modulates EEG phase coherence in children with/without dyslexia Children with dyslexia show difficulties in speech-in-speech perception Attention relates to dyslexic readers' speech-in-speech perception and reading skills Dyslexia diagnosis is not linked to behavioural/EEG indices of auditory attention.

Computerized music-based intervention module for auditory processing and working memory in older adults

IntroductionThe contribution of technology to the field of health is vast, both in diagnosis and management. More so, the use of computer-based intervention has become increasingly widespread over the past decade. Human beings experience a decline in auditory processing and cognitive skills as they age, consistent with deterioration of other bodily functions. In addition, speech perception abilities in both quiet and in the presence of noise are impacted by auditory processing abilities and cognitive skills such as working memory. This pilot study explored the use of music as an intervention for improving these skills and employed a computerized delivery of the intervention module.MethodA battery of tests was carried out to assess the baseline auditory processing and working memory skills in eight older adults between the ages of 56 and 79 years, all of whom had normal hearing. Following the assessment, a short-term computerized music-based intervention was administered. The style of music chosen was Carnatic classical music, a genre widely practiced in Southern India. The intervention module involved note and tempo discrimination and was carried out for a maximum of 10 half-hour sessions. The multi-level intervention module was constructed and administered using Apex software. Following the intervention, the auditory processing and cognitive skills of the participants were reassessed to study any changes in their auditory processing and working memory skills.Results and discussionThere were positive changes observed in all the auditory processing and some of the working memory abilities. This paper discusses in detail the systematic structuring of the computerized music-based intervention module and its effects on the auditory processing and cognitive skills in older adults.

The Effect of a Words-in-Noise Training Method on Speech Perception in Noise of Children with Unilateral Hearing Loss

Background and Aim: Despite more affordable and advanced technologies for early detection of congenital hearing loss, unilateral hearing loss is the prevalent form of hearing loss affecting school-aged children. This study aimed to examine the impact of Words-in-Noise (WIN) training on speech perception of noise in children with unilateral hearing loss. Methods: Thirteen children aged 8 to 12 years with unilateral hearing loss underwent a WIN training program in noise. The participants were tested before and after training on word identification in noise and cortical auditory evoked potentials. Results: A comparison of the mean signal-to-noise ratio 50% between pre- and post-training indicated that signal-to-noise ratio 50% score decreased after training sessions. WIN training reduced the latency in N1 and P2 waves in the Fz electrode and the N1 wave in the Pz electrode and increased the amplitude of the waves in the Fz and Pz electrodes. The observed data suggest that all participants’ performance improved on word identification in noise and some electrophysiological parameters. Cortical auditory evoked potentials components changes did not correlate with the WIN scores. Conclusion: The Persian version of the WIN training improved speech perception ability in the presence of competitive noise in children with unilateral hearing loss. Therefore, this software solution can partially solve speech comprehension problems with noise in these children. Keywords: Unilateral hearing loss; word in noise training; children; listening in noise

Audiogram Configuration, Molecular Etiology, and Outcome of Cochlear Implantation in Postlingual Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder.

To explore the diverse molecular etiologies of postlingual auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) and report on the electrically evoked compound action potential (ECAP) thresholds and the outcome of cochlear implantation (CI). Patients with late-onset, progressive hearing loss who went through molecular genetic testing were enrolled. Type of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) was classified as flat, reverse-slope, midfrequency, downsloping, or ski slope. We identified postlingual ANSD subjects through diagnostic tracts applied differently depending on the degree of SNHL. For CI recipients, individual ECAP thresholds, postoperative speech perception abilities, and the genetic cause were analyzed. The detection rate of ANSD among patients with postlingual SNHL was 5.1% (15/293 probands). Diverse genetic etiologies were identified in 7 (46.6%) of the 15 postlingual ANSD subjects, the genetic cause being found exclusively in subjects with reverse-slope SNHL. The pattern of intraoperative ECAP responses was also diverse and showed some correlation with the genetic etiology. Despite the diverse molecular etiology and ECAP responses, CI in postlingual ANSD patients, including those with features involving the postsynaptic component, yielded significant improvements in speech understanding. This study proposes a differentiated diagnostic approach that focuses on both poor speech discrimination and reverse-slope hearing loss for the diagnosis of ANSD. Based on the improvement of speech understanding from all cochlear implantees with ANSD as well as the correlation between the genetic etiology and ECAP thresholds, we suggest that CI can significantly benefit ANSD subjects even those with unknown etiologies unless there is overt peripheral neuropathy.

Binaural Processing and Auditory Working Memory in Individuals with Tinnitus Having Normal Hearing Sensitivity.

Tinnitus is a sound perceived in the ears or head without any external or internal sound source. It can be hypothesized that the auditory processing at the different levels of the auditory pathway and working memory may get affected due to the additional sound contributed by tinnitus. The objective of our study is to evaluate binaural processes and working memory capacity in individual with tinnitus having normal hearing sensitivity. The binaural interaction process was evaluated using the interaural time difference and interaural level difference. Similarly, the binaural integration process was assessed using the dichotic consonant-vowel test, and the working memory was assessed using the audio descending span test and Audio 2N-Back span test. Mann-Whitney U test was done to see the significant difference between the groups. The Mann-Whitney U test showed significantly poorer interaural level difference scores in the tinnitus group. Also, dichotic consonantvowel test scores and auditory working memory test scores were found to be significantly lower in individuals with tinnitus. The binaural processes, along with the working memory capacity, are found to be affected in an individual with tinnitus, which in turn may affect the speech perception ability of the individual.

Neural Correlates of Individual Differences in Speech-in-Noise Performance in a Large Cohort of Cochlear Implant Users.

Understanding speech-in-noise (SiN) is a complex task that recruits multiple cortical subsystems. Individuals vary in their ability to understand SiN. This cannot be explained by simple peripheral hearing profiles, but recent work by our group ( Kim et al. 2021 , Neuroimage ) highlighted central neural factors underlying the variance in SiN ability in normal hearing (NH) subjects. The present study examined neural predictors of SiN ability in a large cohort of cochlear-implant (CI) users. We recorded electroencephalography in 114 postlingually deafened CI users while they completed the California consonant test: a word-in-noise task. In many subjects, data were also collected on two other commonly used clinical measures of speech perception: a word-in-quiet task (consonant-nucleus-consonant) word and a sentence-in-noise task (AzBio sentences). Neural activity was assessed at a vertex electrode (Cz), which could help maximize eventual generalizability to clinical situations. The N1-P2 complex of event-related potentials (ERPs) at this location were included in multiple linear regression analyses, along with several other demographic and hearing factors as predictors of SiN performance. In general, there was a good agreement between the scores on the three speech perception tasks. ERP amplitudes did not predict AzBio performance, which was predicted by the duration of device use, low-frequency hearing thresholds, and age. However, ERP amplitudes were strong predictors for performance for both word recognition tasks: the California consonant test (which was conducted simultaneously with electroencephalography recording) and the consonant-nucleus-consonant (conducted offline). These correlations held even after accounting for known predictors of performance including residual low-frequency hearing thresholds. In CI-users, better performance was predicted by an increased cortical response to the target word, in contrast to previous reports in normal-hearing subjects in whom speech perception ability was accounted for by the ability to suppress noise. These data indicate a neurophysiological correlate of SiN performance, thereby revealing a richer profile of an individual's hearing performance than shown by psychoacoustic measures alone. These results also highlight important differences between sentence and word recognition measures of performance and suggest that individual differences in these measures may be underwritten by different mechanisms. Finally, the contrast with prior reports of NH listeners in the same task suggests CI-users performance may be explained by a different weighting of neural processes than NH listeners.

Speakers of different L1 dialects with acoustically proximal vowel systems present with similar nonnative speech perception abilities: Data from Greek listeners of Dutch

Previous evidence suggests that nonnative speech perception is modulated by the speakers’ first language (L1) dialect. This study aims (a) to examine the discrimination of Dutch vowel contrasts by Greek listeners , and (b) to determine whether listeners' L1 Greek dialectal background, namely, Standard Modern Greek (SMG) and Cypriot Greek (CG), affects the discrimination of nonnative contrasts. It has been proposed that crosslinguistic similarity between L1 and nonnative sounds can predict the perception of the latter sounds. For that purpose, discrimination predictions were developed using a linear discriminant analysis (LDA), which was based on the acoustic similarity between SMG/CG and Dutch vowels and which provided quantification of the classification of nonnative vowels in terms of the listeners' L1 categories. The participants of the perceptual study were adult Greek (SMG and CG) listeners of Dutch who completed an AXB test on a PC script. The results of the discrimination test showed that three out of four contrasts signaled good discrimination, while one contrast signaled less good discrimination. Although crosslinguistic acoustic similarity was a relatively good predictor of the listeners’ nonnative discrimination patterns, it failed to provide accurate predictions for some contrasts. Another important finding was that SMG listeners did not differ from CG listeners in the discrimination of Dutch vowel contrasts. Probably, the high acoustic proximity between the vowel systems of the two varieties led listeners to employ similar acoustic properties to discriminate nonnative sounds.

The impact of COVID-19 on communicative accessibility and well-being in adults with hearing impairment: a survey study

BackgroundCOVID-19 measures, such as face masks, have clear consequences for the communicative accessibility of people with hearing impairment because they reduce speech perception. As communication is essential to participate in society, this might have impact on their mental well-being. This study was set out to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 measures on the communicative accessibility and well-being of adults with hearing impairment.MethodTwo groups of adults took part in this study, with (N = 150) and without (N = 50) hearing loss. The participants answered statements on a five point Likert-scale. Statements regarding communicative accessibility involved speech perception abilities, behavioral changes and access to information. Well-being was measured at the overall level in daily community life and at work, and in particular also with respect to perceived stress. We asked participants with hearing impairment on their audiological needs during the pandemic.ResultsSignificant group differences were found on speech perception abilities due to COVID-19 measures. Behavioral changes were observed to compensate for the loss in speech perception. Hearing loss was associated with an increased request for repetition or for removal of the face mask. Using information technology (e.g. Zoom) or contacting colleagues did not pose any major problems for the hearing group, whereas participants with hearing loss gave mixed responses. A significant difference emerged between groups on well-being in daily life, but not on well-being at work or perceived stress.ConclusionsThis study shows the detrimental effect of COVID-19 measures on the communicative accessibility of individuals with hearing loss. It also shows their resilience as only partial group differences were found on well-being. Protective factors are indicated, such as access to information and audiological care.

Speech Perception in Quiet and in the Presence of Noise in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Behavioral Study.

Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is one of the important parameters to be considered for the effective perception of speech. Many researchers indicate that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have reduced capacity to integrate sensory information across different modalities and show speech understanding difficulty in the presence of background speech or noise. So, this present study was undertaken with the aimed to evaluate and compare the speech perception ability in quiet and in the presence of noise for children with and without ASD and also to compare across different noise conditions. Speech perception in noise was measured for 15 children with ASD and 15 age-matched children without ASD in the age range of 8 to 12 years. The stimulus includes standardized bisyllabic and trisyllabic Kannada words in quiet and at different SNR conditions. The result showed that children with ASD had poor performance in all the listening conditions (quiet, speech babble, and speech noise) and the syllable conditions (bisyllables and trisyllables) compared to children without ASD. When compared across quiet and different SNR conditions for individuals with ASD, the result showed the best performance in quiet conditions followed by different SNR conditions. The performance deteriorated with a decrease in SNR for both groups. Children with ASD showed poor performance in quiet and in the presence of noise compared to children without ASD. Speech perception evaluation in the presence of noise provides a more reliable predictor of the communication difficulty faced by children with ASD than evaluating only in quiet conditions.

The Relationship Between Speech Perception, Speech Production, and Vocabulary Abilities in Children: Insights From By-Group and Continuous Analyses.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between speech perception, speech production, and vocabulary abilities in children with and without speech sound disorders (SSDs), analyzing the data both by group and continuously. Sixty-one Australian English-speaking children aged 48-69 months participated in this study. Children's speech production abilities ranged along the continuum from SSDs through to typical speech. Their vocabulary abilities ranged along the continuum from typical to above average ("lexically precocious"). Children completed routine speech and language assessments in addition to an experimental Australian English lexical and phonetic judgment task. When analyzing data by group, there was no significant difference between the speech perception ability of children with SSDs and that of children without SSDs. Children with above-average vocabularies had significantly better speech perception ability than children with average vocabularies. When analyzing data continuously, speech production and vocabulary were both significant positive predictors of variance in speech perception ability, both individually in simple linear regression and when combined in multiple linear regression. There was also a significant positive correlation between perception and production of two of the four target phonemes tested (i.e., /k/ and /ʃ/) among children in the SSD group. Results from this study provide further insight into the complex relationship between speech perception, speech production, and vocabulary abilities in children. While there is a clinical and important need for categorical distinctions between SSDs and typically developing speech, findings further highlight the value of investigating speech production and vocabulary abilities continuously and categorically. By capturing the heterogeneity among children's speech production and vocabulary abilities, we can advance our understanding of SSDs in children. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22229674.

Exploring the impact hearing differences have on the development of speech perception during infancy

Early periods of perceptual skill development are driven by the dynamic interplay between language experiences and maturation of auditory sensory pathways. Among infants with normal hearing (INH), the first year of life is a seminal period for refining speech perception abilities shaped by exposure to language. Research suggests that refinement of speech discrimination abilities depends on an infant’s exposure to speech sounds, thus infants who are hard-of-hearing (IHH) are susceptible to atypical development during this period. Currently, the impact of inconsistent auditory cue access on development of speech perception is unknown among IHH. To investigate this, our lab has employed both electroencephalography (EEG) and a conditioned head turn (CHT) paradigm to examine auditory cue access and speech perception abilities, respectively, over the first year of life. We will provide a broad overview of our recent and continuing work among IHH and INH using EEG and CHT findings which suggest: (1) early EEG measures of cue access predict later behavioral speech perception abilities, (2) hearing age (duration of time between hearing aid fitting and testing) is related to speech perception abilities measured by CHT, and (3) a significant relationship between infant speech perception and both spoken expressive and receptive language abilities.

What Makes a Foreign Language Intelligible? An Examination of the Impact of Musical Ability and Individual Differences on Language Perception and How Intelligible Foreign Languages Appear.

Previous research suggests that musical ability is associated with language processing and foreign language pronunciation. Whether musical ability is associated with the ability to generate intelligible unfamiliar utterances has not been investigated. Furthermore, how unfamiliar languages are perceived has rarely been related to musical ability. We tested 80 healthy adults, with a mean age of 34.05 and a combination of 41 women and 39 men. We used batteries of perceptual and generational music and language measures to assess foreign language intelligibility and musical capacity. Regression analysis revealed that five measures explained the variance in the intelligibility of unfamiliar foreign utterances. These were short-term memory capacity, melodic singing ability, speech perception ability, and how melodic and memorable the utterances sounded to the participants. Correlational analyses revealed that musical aptitude measures are related to melodic perception and how memorable unfamiliar utterances sound, whereas singing aptitude is related to the perceived difficulty level of the language material. These findings provide novel evidence of the link between musical and speech abilities. In particular, intelligibility measures are associated with singing aptitude and how melodic languages appear to be. As impressions on how foreign languages are perceived are also related to musical capacities, perceptual language parameters address a new perspective that facilitates the understanding of the link between music and language in general.