Cognitive abilities are important for a number of human attributes, such as making sense of communication, holding information active in memory, and making decisions. When it is the goal to focus on a single target voice, and resist intrusions from irrelevant information, cognitive inhibition can aid us in our endeavour. Cognitive inhibition is thought to support and co-operate with working memory. Abilities such as cognitive inhibition and working memory are also important for speech processing, even more so when listening to speech under adverse conditions. In order to assess different difficulties that can arise in every day listening situations, it´s of importance to have solid methods for measuring cognitive abilities. In the present study we present a task assessing cognitive inhibition, and how it relates to individual working memory capacity (WMC), and speech-recognition-in-noise. Forty-six young normally-hearing individuals were presented with a cognitive test battery, as well as a speech-in-noise test. Our results suggest that individuals with high WMC, also exhibit good cognitive inhibition. The results also indicate that those who perform well in the cognitive inhibition task need less favourable signal-to-noise-ratios in the speech-recognition task. Our findings indicate that capacity to resist semantic interference can be used to predict performance in speech-recognition tasks when listening under adverse conditions. 

Cognitive abilities, such as working memory capacity (WMC), lexical decision making, and cognitive inhibition, can help predict performance on speech-recognition-in-noise tasks. Working memory is assumed to play a major part in every day listening situations, storing and actively working with relevant information, while inhibitory control helps to suppress and separate irrelevant information from interfering with the information processing. With increasing age, comes decreasing cognitive abilities, such as declines in WMC, speed of information processing, and inhibitory control, leading to problems when selectively attending to speech while inhibiting interfering distractors. The aim of the present study was to examine age-related declines in WMC, inhibitory control, and lexical decision making, and their respective roles when listening to speech under adverse listening conditions. Twenty-four young normally-hearing (NH), and 24 elderly ( for their age) NH individuals participated in the study. They completing a cognitive test battery assessing WMC, cognitive inhibition, and lexical decision making, as well as a closed-set (Hagerman sentences) and an open-set (HINT) speech-recognition-in-noise task masked with different maskers. We will present results comparing cognitive abilities in younger normally-hearing individuals with elderly normally-hearing individuals, and how age and cognitive abilities relates to performance on speech-recognition-in-noise tasks.

In the present study we aimed to investigate individual differences in cognitive inhibition, WMC, and how they relate to performance on a speech-recognition-in-noise task. Sixteen young normally-hearing individuals were presented with a cognitive test battery, as well as a sentence corpus masked by 5 different maskers, targeting 80% speech-recognition. One masker was a slightly modulated (10%) speech-shaped noise (SSN), 2 maskers were constructed by modulating the SSN with the envelopes from a single female talker, and the international speech test signal (ISTS). We also masked the target sentences with the ISTS, and a single female talker reading a passage in a Swedish newspaper. Our results showed that cognitive inhibition is significantly related to performance when maskers with meaningful, semantic information is used. The results further indicate that young normally-hearing individuals can take advantage of temporal and spectral dips to fill in missing information. Our findings suggest that choice of speech material is of importance for the outcome in speech-recognition-in-noise tasks. We further propose that tasks of cognitive inhibition can be used to predict performance in a speech-recognition task.

Cognitive functions and speech-recognition-in-noise were evaluated with a cognitive test battery, assessing response inhibition using the Hayling task, working memory capacity (WMC) and verbal information processing, and an auditory test of speech recognition. The cognitive tests were performed in silence whereas the speech recognition task was presented in noise. Thirty young normally-hearing individuals participated in the study. The aim of the study was to investigate one executive function, response inhibition, and whether it is related to individual working memory capacity (WMC), and how speech-recognition-in-noise relates to WMC and inhibitory control. The results showed a significant difference between initiation and response inhibition, suggesting that the Hayling task taps cognitive activity responsible for executive control. Our findings also suggest that high verbal ability was associated with better performance in the Hayling task. We also present findings suggesting that individuals who perform well on tasks involving response inhibition, and WMC, also perform well on a speech-in-noise task. Our findings indicate that capacity to resist semantic interference can be used to predict performance on speech-in-noise tasks.

Little is known about the relation between the ability to inhibit irrelevant information and perceiving speech-in-noise and the effects of hearing loss and ageing on this relationship. In settings where a listening task is difficult, individuals use both their hearing and cognitive abilities to process the auditory information. To perceive speech in noise, one must focus on the relevant information and at the same time inhibit the processing of irrelevant information. Results from recent studies indicate that older adults have difficulties singling out speech in noise, and selectively attend to target speech while inhibiting irrelevant information.

The purpose of the project is to increase theoretical knowledge concerning the relation between age, perceiving speech-in-noise and inhibition. The pilot study involved the administration of a test battery consisting of audiological, cognitive and speech perception tests. The results of a series of ANOVAs and correlational analyses will be presented to show differences in performance and the relation between performance on the cognitive, audiological and speech-perception tasks. Upon completion, the results of this study will be used to compare younger individuals´ performance with older adults with and without hearing loss to determine the effect of age and hearing ability on the relation between capacity to inhibit irrelevant information and speech-in-noise recognition.