Effects of age and musical expertise on perception of speech in speech maskers in adults
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
Perceiving “cocktail party” speech, or speech-on-speech (SoS), requires perceptual mechanisms suc... more Perceiving “cocktail party” speech, or speech-on-speech (SoS), requires perceptual mechanisms such as segregating target from masking speech using voice cues, and on cognitive mechanisms such as selective attention and inhibition. Both aging and musical expertise have been shown to affect these mechanisms. Voice cues that help distinguish different speakers include mean fundamental frequency (F0), related to voice pitch, and the vocal-tract length (VTL), related to speaker size. Some studies reported older adults’ decreased sensitivity to F0 differences, possibly affecting their ability to discriminate speakers. Furthermore, age-related cognitive changes may lead to difficulties in attention direction and inhibition. Compared to non-musicians, musicians are reported to show enhanced processing of acoustic features such as F0, as well as enhanced cognitive abilities such as auditory attention skills and working memory. While this intuitively could lead to a musician advantage for SoS...
Effects of age and musical expertise on speech-on-speech perception in adults
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
Speech-on-speech (SoS) perception relies on perceptual mechanisms, such as discriminating mean fu... more Speech-on-speech (SoS) perception relies on perceptual mechanisms, such as discriminating mean fundamental frequency (F0) and vocal-tract length (VTL), and cognitive mechanisms, such as selective attention and working memory. Older adults may be less sensitive to F0 differences, possibly affecting their ability to perceive different speakers. Age-related cognitive changes may lead to difficulties in attention direction and inhibition. Compared to non-musicians, musicians are reported to possess enhanced processing of acoustic features such as F0, as well as enhanced cognitive abilities such as auditory attention skills and working memory. While this intuitively could lead to a musician advantage for SoS perception, reports of musicians outperforming non-musicians on SoS tasks are inconsistent across both younger and older adults. Differences in SoS paradigms across the literature have made it difficult to directly compare musicianship advantages in SoS perception in younger and olde...
During the normal course of aging, perception of speech-on-speech or “cocktail party” speech and ... more During the normal course of aging, perception of speech-on-speech or “cocktail party” speech and use of working memory (WM) abilities change. Musical training, which is a complex activity that integrates multiple sensory modalities and higher-order cognitive functions, reportedly benefits both WM performance and speech-on-speech perception in older adults. This mini-review explores the relationship between musical training, WM and speech-on-speech perception in older age (> 65 years) through the lens of the Ease of Language Understanding (ELU) model. Linking neural-oscillation literature associating speech-on-speech perception and WM with alpha-theta oscillatory activity, we propose that two stages of speech-on-speech processing in the ELU are underpinned by WM-related alpha-theta oscillatory activity, and that effects of musical training on speech-on-speech perception may be reflected in these frequency bands among older adults.
Assessing emotional expressions during a cycling-based initiative for older care home residents using participatory action research
<p>Objective: Through Cycling Without Age, trained volunteers use specially designed trisha... more <p>Objective: Through Cycling Without Age, trained volunteers use specially designed trishaws to provide rides for older adults living in care homes and other supported living environments. Qualitative and quantitative research suggests benefits in terms of improvements in mood and wellbeing. Those studies have predominantly been interviews with participants reflecting on previous rides, or as pre-/post-assessments. To assess emotional experiences during a ride, the current study adopted a participatory action research approach.Methods: Twelve older adults (50% female; 67-92 years old (M=81.8, SD=7.4)) living in care homes or supported living environments were recruited. During a Cycling Without Age ride, participants were filmed using an action camera mounted to the trishaw. Recordings were rated using the Facial Expression Coding System by two researchers to assess the frequency, duration and intensity of positive and negative emotions.Results: On average, 23.7 positive emotional expressions were observed per ride, significantly higher than negative emotions (0.4). As well as more frequent, positive emotions were observed over a longer duration in total (139.5 seconds versus 1.3) and rated as more intense (1.9 versus 0.3).Conclusion: The study supported the value of assessing emotional responses during this cycling-based initiative directly, including minimising the input required from participants. The predominantly positive emotional expressions observed were consistent with both qualitative and quantitative assessments of Cycling Without Age, and suggests a potential pathway by which those benefits manifest. Future studies might adopt a triangulated approach, using in-activity monitoring, quantitative assessments and participant reflections.</p>
Objective: Cycling Without Age is a global initiative in which trained volunteers take adults liv... more Objective: Cycling Without Age is a global initiative in which trained volunteers take adults living in care homes or supported housing environments out on specially designed trishaws. Despite its global success, there is limited research on the effect the initiative has on the older adults taking part. The current study therefore assessed changes in mood and wellbeing to determine whether there were short-term benefits of participation. Methods: Forty-nine older adults (69% female; 67–100 years old ( M = 84.1, SD = 7.6)) living in care homes and supported housing environments were recruited; 35 participants completed all measures and comprise the analytical sample. Participants completed the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale and UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist immediately before a ride (baseline); they repeated the measures on completion of the ride (follow-up). Participants also completed baseline and follow-up measures on a day in which they did not go on a ride. Mixed ANOV...
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