Effects of aging on auditory processing of speech

Abstract

The focus of this paper is on the effects of age on speech perception, with reference to pertinent psychoacoustic findings. The difficulties of older listeners are related to the well-known effects of high-frequency hearing loss on speech perception in quiet, and to temporal processing declines not predictable from the audiogram that account for reduced ability to listen in complex, noisy conditions. We also discuss issues of research interpretation; e.g. the need for researchers and clinicians to be alert to the frequent confound between degree of hearing loss and age. The implications of age-related changes in auditory speech processing for future practice and research arc discussed relative to interactions between older individuals and their acoustic environments.

Key Words:

• Temporal processing
• Synchrony
• Gap detection
• Prosody