Normal aging is associated with difficulty understanding speech in adverse listening conditions and can lead to problems for the elderly such as social isolation, anxiety, depression, and diminished quality of life. The overall goal of this project is to attenuate the age-related decline exhibited in speech-in-noise (SPIN) processing in older adults using music training and targeted computerized cognitive training compared to a social, no-training control. A large literature suggests there are at least two types of noise in which speech intelligibility can be degraded: energetic and informational noise. Energetic masking results when the noise spectro-temporally overlaps with the speech signal (e.g., near a construction site), whereas informational masking results when the noise contains information beyond spectro-temporal overlap with the speech signal (e.g., when a loud talker is near your conversation). Several cognitive processes have been implicated in SPIN perception such as auditory working memory, auditory attention, and processing speed; as well as perceptual processes such as temporal processing and gap detection. Importantly, older adults tend to rely on cognitive resources more than young adults during tests of informational masking SPIN processing. Additionally, an expansive literature suggests that music training is associated with enhancements in not only SPIN ability, but also perceptual and cognitive abilities. To achieve our overall goal, we have two aims: 1) quantify the effect of training on SPIN processing in older adults, and 2) quantify the factors underlying training-related gains in SPIN processing. In service of the first aim, we will compare the effects of piano lessons, targeted computerized cognitive training of the skills underlying SPIN ability, and a social engagement meet-up control group on SPIN processing. Measurements of these variables will be taken at pre-training, three months, and post-training. In service of the second aim, we will measure cognitive and perceptual abilities and demographic information in the older adults at each of the three testing times. We will examine how variability in SPIN processing may be accounted for by demographics, cognitive ability, and perceptual ability and their mediation of SPIN processing in each experimental condition using structural equation modeling and mediation analyses. Upon completion of the project outlined in this proposal, we will better understand training methods that can be used to not only attenuate the age-related decline in speech-in-noise processing, but also provide older adults with a long-term and sustainable tool for healthy aging.
Normal aging is associated with difficulty understanding speech in adverse listening conditions and can lead to social isolation, depression, anxiety, and diminished quality-of-life. As the baby-boomer generation advances into older age, it is imperative that we create exciting and sustainable methods to attenuate the age-related declines in speech-in-noise processing and better the lives of older adults. This project experimentally examines the extent to which music training, computerized cognitive training, and social engagement enhances speech-in-noise processing in older adults.
