Listening effort: WHAT is it, HOW is it measured and WHY is it important?

Single microphone noise reduction (NR) in hearing aids can provide a subjective benefit even when there is no objective improvement in speech intelligibility. A possible explanation lies in a reduction of listening effort. Previously, we showed that response times (a proxy for listening effort) to an auditory-only dual-task were reduced by NR in normal-hearing (NH) listeners. In this study, we investigate if the results from NH listeners extend to the hearing-impaired (HI), the target group for hearing aids. In addition, we assess the relevance of the outcome measure for studying and understanding listening effort. Twelve HI subjects were asked to sum two digits of a digit triplet in noise. We measured response times to this task, as well as subjective listening effort and speech intelligibility. Stimuli were presented at three signal-to-noise ratios (SNR; –5, 0, +5 dB) and in quiet. Stimuli were processed with ideal or nonideal NR, or unprocessed. The effect of NR on response times in HI listeners was significant only in conditions where speech intelligibility was also affected (–5 dB SNR). This is in contrast to the previous results with NH listeners. There was a significant effect of SNR on response times for HI listeners. The response time measure was reasonably correlated ( R142 = 0.54) to subjective listening effort and showed a sufficient test–retest reliability. This study thus presents an objective, valid, and reliable measure for evaluating an aspect of listening effort of HI listeners.

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Effect of Speech-to-Noise Ratio and Luminance on a Range of Current and Potential Pupil Response Measures to Assess Listening Effort

Trends in Hearing ◽

10.1177/23312165211009351 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 25 ◽

pp. 233121652110093

Author(s):

Patrycja Książek ◽

Adriana A. Zekveld ◽

Dorothea Wendt ◽

Lorenz Fiedler ◽

Thomas Lunner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Time Course ◽

Principal Component ◽

Growth Curve Analysis ◽

Listening Effort ◽

Data Set ◽

Holistic View ◽

Hearing Research ◽

Speech In Noise ◽

Noise Test ◽

Noise Ratio

In hearing research, pupillometry is an established method of studying listening effort. The focus of this study was to evaluate several pupil measures extracted from the Task-Evoked Pupil Responses (TEPRs) in speech-in-noise test. A range of analysis approaches was applied to extract these pupil measures, namely (a) pupil peak dilation (PPD); (b) mean pupil dilation (MPD); (c) index of pupillary activity; (d) growth curve analysis (GCA); and (e) principal component analysis (PCA). The effect of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR; Data Set A: –20 dB, –10 dB, +5 dB SNR) and luminance (Data Set B: 0.1 cd/m2, 360 cd/m2) on the TEPRs were investigated. Data Sets A and B were recorded during a speech-in-noise test and included TEPRs from 33 and 27 normal-hearing native Dutch speakers, respectively. The main results were as follows: (a) A significant effect of SNR was revealed for all pupil measures extracted in the time domain (PPD, MPD, GCA, PCA); (b) Two time series analysis approaches (GCA, PCA) provided modeled temporal profiles of TEPRs (GCA); and time windows spanning subtasks performed in a speech-in-noise test (PCA); and (c) All pupil measures revealed a significant effect of luminance. In conclusion, multiple pupil measures showed similar effects of SNR, suggesting that effort may be reflected in multiple aspects of TEPR. Moreover, a direct analysis of the pupil time course seems to provide a more holistic view of TEPRs, yet further research is needed to understand and interpret its measures. Further research is also required to find pupil measures less sensitive to changes in luminance.

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Listening effort and fatigue: What exactly are we measuring? A British Society of Audiology Cognition in Hearing Special Interest Group ‘white paper’

International Journal of Audiology ◽

10.3109/14992027.2014.890296 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 53 (7) ◽

pp. 433-445 ◽

Cited By ~ 177

Author(s):

Ronan McGarrigle ◽

Kevin J. Munro ◽

Piers Dawes ◽

Andrew J. Stewart ◽

David R. Moore ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Interest Group ◽

Special Interest ◽

White Paper ◽

Special Interest Group ◽

British Society ◽

Listening Effort

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The pupil response reveals increased listening effort when it is difficult to focus attention

Hearing Research ◽

10.1016/j.heares.2015.02.004 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 323 ◽

pp. 81-90 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Thomas Koelewijn ◽

Hilde de Kluiver ◽

Barbara G. Shinn-Cunningham ◽

Adriana A. Zekveld ◽

Sophia E. Kramer

Keyword(s):

Focus Attention ◽

Listening Effort ◽

Pupil Response

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Listening Effort With Cochlear Implant Simulations

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/1092-4388(2012/12-0074) ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 56 (4) ◽

pp. 1075-1084 ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

Carina Pals ◽

Anastasios Sarampalis ◽

Deniz Başkent

Keyword(s):

Cochlear Implant ◽

Spectral Resolution ◽

Speech Intelligibility ◽

Self Report ◽

Cognitive Resources ◽

Visual Response ◽

Processing Conditions ◽

Listening Effort ◽

Dual Task Paradigm ◽

Spectral Channels

Purpose Fitting a cochlear implant (CI) for optimal speech perception does not necessarily optimize listening effort. This study aimed to show that listening effort may change between CI processing conditions for which speech intelligibility remains constant. Method Nineteen normal-hearing participants listened to CI simulations with varying numbers of spectral channels. A dual-task paradigm combining an intelligibility task with either a linguistic or nonlinguistic visual response-time (RT) task measured intelligibility and listening effort. The simultaneously performed tasks compete for limited cognitive resources; changes in effort associated with the intelligibility task are reflected in changes in RT on the visual task. A separate self-report scale provided a subjective measure of listening effort. Results All measures showed significant improvements with increasing spectral resolution up to 6 channels. However, only the RT measure of listening effort continued improving up to 8 channels. The effects were stronger for RTs recorded during listening than for RTs recorded between listening. Conclusion The results suggest that listening effort decreases with increased spectral resolution. Moreover, these improvements are best reflected in objective measures of listening effort, such as RTs on a secondary task, rather than intelligibility scores or subjective effort measures.

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