Speech Perception and Auditory Temporal Processing Performance by Older Listeners: Implications for Real-World Communication

ABSTRACT

This summary article commences with an overview of limitations in speech understanding of older listeners in challenging listening situations. Recent studies are reviewed that examine sources of the speech understanding problems of older listeners, including deficits in recognizing temporally altered speech. Corresponding data from psychophysical investigations of gap detection, duration discrimination, and identification of temporal order are considered in relation to the speech perception data. Evidence from numerous investigations indicates an age-related decline in auditory temporal processing that may contribute to the speech perception deficit. Moreover, tasks that increase the cognitive demand are also notably difficult for older listeners. Emerging techniques for applying recent findings of age-related speech and non-speech processing deficits are discussed, including developments in assessment, rehabilitation, and signal processing.

KEYWORDS

Aging - speech perception - temporal processing

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