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Validation of an ecological tool for assessing speech perception in noise

par Rapp, Clara ;Bouchez, Laura L.B.;Calcus, Axelle ;Deliens, Gaétane
Référence Neurocog (2023: November 2023: Brussels)
Publication Publié, 2023-11-22

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Résumé :

In natural settings, listening conditions are seldom optimal. Humans have to distinguish between various simultaneous sounds and focus on the target speech while filtering out irrelevant information. In the presence of background noise, neurotypical adults shift their attention to visual cues and focus more on the nose and mouth area. However, currently, there is no ecological tool available to assess speech perception in noisy environments. This study aims to validate an ecological tool for assessing speech perception in noise among adults. The material comprises 90 videos with 10 speakers introducing themselves in 9 sentences (hobby, favorite dish, pet, etc.). These phrases were randomly assigned across three listening conditions: no background noise, SNR+10 dB, and SNR -10 dB. To validate the material, 44 adults with standard IQ and without neurological, psychiatric, visual, or auditory impairments were recruited.Participants were asked to repeat what they heard after each sentence. Three keywords were created per sentence to obtain a percentage of correctly repeated words. In addition, eye-tracking measures were obtained.We expect speech perception to decrease as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) decreases. Additionally, attention towards the mouth area is anticipated to increase with lower SNR, while focus on the eye area is expected to decrease.A repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant effect of noise on the percentage of correctly repeated words, indicating a decrease in speech perception as SNR decreases. Analyses on fixation durations show a significant effect of areas of interest with longer fixation durations on the mouth area. No significant impact of noise on fixation duration was observed. By contrast, a significant interaction effect emerged between areas of interest and level of background noise. Participants showed decreased interest in the eye area and increased focus on the mouth area with lower SNR. Pupillometry analysis shows a significant effect of background noise on pupil size. Participants show an increase in attentional focus in the presence of background noise, reflected by an increase in pupil size.