Emotional and analytic music perception in cochlear implant users after optimizing the speech processor

Abstract

Conclusion: Cochlear implant (CI) users are able to detect harmonic differences and the emotionally exciting effect of music (arousal) even when using a speech adapted program. Raising the power of lower frequencies of speech processors in CIs for a music program further improved this ability and enhanced subjectively perceived pleasure during listening to music. Objective: This pilot study compares aspects of analytical and emotional music perception before and after optimizing the speech processor compared to results of normal-hearing subjects. Methods: Six adult post-lingually deafened CI users and six subjects with normal hearing abilities were tested on different aspects of analytical and emotional music perception. After optimizing speech processors for a music program, the CI users were tested again after a period of 1 week. Results: The CI users were able to detect different levels of emotional arousal conveyed by music. Switching to the music program resulted in an even better distinction between different levels of musical arousal. With both the speech and music programs, CI users gave overall higher ratings for arousal and valence of the heard music when asked to estimate how listeners with normal hearing perceived the music than when asked about their own perception.

Keywords::

• Cochlear implantation
• emotional music processing

Acknowledgments

We thank our test subjects for their cooperation and W. Doering for technical support during CI amplification and data acquisition.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.