Effects of Clear Speech on Listening Effort and Memory in Sentence Processing

NCT06053190 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 00145808b
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is among the most prevalent chronic conditions in aging and has a profoundly negative effect on speech comprehension, leading to increased social isolation, reduced quality of life, and increased risk for the development of dementia in older adulthood. Typical audiological tests and interventions, which focus on measuring and restoring audibility, do not explain the full range of cognitive difficulties that adults with hearing loss experience in speech comprehension. For example, adults with SNHL have to work disproportionally harder to decode acoustically degraded speech. That additional effort is thought to diminish shared executive and attentional resources for higher-level language processes, impacting subsequent comprehension and memory, even when speech is completely intelligible. This phenomenon has been referred to as listening effort (LE). There is a growing understanding that these cognitive factors are a critical and often "hidden effect" of hearing loss. At the same time, the effects of LE on the neural mechanisms of language processing and memory in SNHL are currently not well understood. In order to develop evidence-based assessments and interventions to improve comprehension and memory in SNHL, it is critical that the cognitive and neural mechanisms of LE and its consequences for speech comprehension are elucidated. In this project, the investigators adopt a multi-method approach, combining methods from clinical audiology, psycholinguistics, and cognitive neuroscience to address this gap of knowledge. Specifically, the investigators adopt a novel and innovative method of co-registering pupillometry (a reliable physiological measure of LE) and language-related event-related brain potential (ERP) measures during real-time speech processing to characterize the effects of clear speech (i.e., a listener-oriented speaking style that is spontaneously adopted to improve intelligibility when speakers are aware of a perception difficulty on behalf of the listener) on high-level language processes (e.g., semantic retrieval, syntactic integration) and subsequent speech memory in older adults with SNHL. This innovative work addresses a time-sensitive gap in the literature regarding the identification of objective and reliable markers of specific neurocognitive processes impacted by speech clarity and LE in age-related SNHL.

Conditions

Speech; Memory, Delayed; Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (6)

• N400 amplitude

  The N400 mean amplitude will be measured from the ERP waveform for each condition, using standard procedures for ERP research.

  During the speech listening portion of the experiment, up to 4 hours.

• N400 latency

  The N400 onset latency will be measured from the ERP waveform for each condition, using standard procedures for ERP research.

  During the speech listening portion of the experiment, up to 4 hours.

• P600 amplitude

  The P600 mean amplitude will be measured from the ERP waveform for each condition, using standard procedures.

  During the speech listening portion of the experiment, up to 4 hours.

• P600 latency

  The P600 onset latency will be measured from the ERP waveform for each condition, using standard procedures.

  During the speech listening portion of the experiment, up to 4 hours.

• pupil dilation

  The pupil dilation response (average proportion change from baseline) will be measured from the continuous pupillometry time series, measured prior to target word onset, and compared between speech samples presented in clear and conversational speech.

  During the speech listening portion of the experiment, up to 4 hours.

• Delayed Recognition Memory

  Recognition memory will be measured using both standard accuracy and signal detection measures from the recognition memory task

  Immediately after the speech listening portion of the experiment, up to 30 minutes.

Study Arms (1)

Speech Study

EXPERIMENTAL

The study is a within-subjects 2 x 3 factorial design. All participants are exposed to all experimental conditions or "interventions"

Behavioral: Sentence stimulus; Behavioral: Speaking style

Interventions

Sentence stimulus BEHAVIORAL

The sentences are designed such that a specific target word is either (a) Plausible (normal), (b) a semantic pragmatic violation, or (c) a morpho-syntactic violation. Example: e.g., "Every morning at breakfast, the boys would (A: EAT)/ (B.PLANT )/ (C. EATS ) eggs..."

Speech Study

Speaking style BEHAVIORAL

The sentences will be presented either in A. conversational speaking style, or B. hyper-articulated clear speech style. Clear and conversational speech samples will be elicited from a single male talker. In the conversational speech condition, which will be recorded first, the talker will be instructed to read the sentences as they would in everyday conversation. In the clear speech condition, the talker will be instructed to produce the sentences as if they would if they were talking to a person with hearing loss.

Speech Study

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 60 Years - 90 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age 60-90
• Right-handed
• Native English speaker
• Scores in the normal range (\> or = 25 points) on Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)
• For adults with hearing loss, a pure-tone average score of \> 25 dB HL (between 1 - 4kHz)

You may not qualify if:

• Left-handed (language-related electrophysiological responses of left-handed subjects differ from those of right-handed subjects)
• History of psychiatric or neurological illnesses (including skull fractures, as this is known to alter electrophysiological response at the scalp)
• Score of \< 25 points on the MOCA
• Use of certain prescription and non-prescription drugs known to alter brain function and the autonomic nervous system, including pupil dilation (e.g., anti-depressants, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drugs)
• Any eye disease that would impair the ability to measure pupil dilation (e.g., cataracts, nystagmus, amblyopia)
• Scores on speech shadowing audibility control task below 50%, suggesting poor intelligibility
• A display of behavior that would significantly interfere with the validity of data collection or safety during the study;

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Utah: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah, 84109, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Speech; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Verbal Behavior; Communication; Behavior; Hearing Loss; Hearing Disorders; Ear Diseases; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases; Sensation Disorders; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Central Study Contacts

Brennan R Payne

CONTACT

801-581-5040; brennan.payne@psych.utah.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: No masking -- participants are presented various stimuli in different experimental conditions.
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor of Psychology

Model Details: This basic science experiment meets the NIH criteria of a BESH (Basic Experimental Study with Humans) Trial. All participants are exposed to all experimental conditions (i.e., "interventions") in a complete factorial 2 x 3 within-subjects experimental design. "Interventions" involve presenting various speech stimuli to participants.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 17, 2023
• First Posted: September 25, 2023
• Study Start: September 12, 2023
• Primary Completion: March 1, 2025
• Study Completion: March 1, 2025
• Last Updated: January 13, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: Data will be available upon completion of the first manuscript from this paper, with an anticipated date of one year from end of study.
• Access Criteria: Open access

Locations

US (1)