V-9 The Aging Musician-Advantage on Listening Effort
Name:Will, Riopelle
School/Affiliation:Trent University
Co-Authors:Sebastien Paquette
Virtual or In-person:Virtual
Abstract:
As adults age, listening becomes increasingly challenging, particularly in environments with multiple cognitive demands. This heightened difficulty, referred to as listening effort, can lead to greater fatigue and negatively impact quality of life. Individual factors, such as lifelong musical practice, may mitigate listening effort, as musicians demonstrate enhanced central auditory processing, including superior speech-in-noise comprehension, compared to non-musicians.
This study aims to investigate whether musical training offers a protective advantage against listening effort in older adults. We will recruit 40 participants aged 55-75, divided into a musician group (n=20) with over 10 years of formal musical training starting before age 10, and a control group matched for age and hearing loss. Participants will perform speech-in-noise tasks concurrently with a distracting n-back task, which involves successive letter presentations, to measure listening effort. Performance differences, indicated by reaction time and accuracy, will reflect effort levels. Additional assessments will include the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and subjective effort measures post-task.
By identifying factors such as musical training that reduce listening effort, this research could improve life quality for older adults and those with hearing impairments. The findings may also help develop strategies to enhance auditory health and cognitive function in the elderly. We anticipate that the results will demonstrate a significant reduction in listening effort among musicians, providing evidence for the benefits of musical training on auditory and cognitive health in aging populations.