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- Creators: Arizona State University
Description
Spatial awareness (i.e., the sense of the space that we are in) involves the integration of auditory, visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive sensory information of environmental events. Hearing impairment has negative effects on spatial awareness and can result in deficits in communication and the overall aesthetic experience of life, especially in noisy or reverberant environments. This deficit occurs as hearing impairment reduces the signal strength needed for auditory spatial processing and changes how auditory information is combined with other sensory inputs (e.g., vision). The influence of multisensory processing on spatial awareness in listeners with normal, and impaired hearing is not assessed in clinical evaluations, and patients’ everyday sensory experiences are currently not directly measurable. This dissertation investigated the role of vision in auditory localization in listeners with normal, and impaired hearing in a naturalistic stimulus setting, using natural gaze orienting responses. Experiments examined two behavioral outcomes—response accuracy and response time—based on eye movement in response to simultaneously presented auditory and visual stimuli. The first set of experiments examined the effects of stimulus spatial saliency on response accuracy and response time and the extent of visual dominance in both metrics in auditory localization. The results indicate that vision can significantly influence both the speed and accuracy of auditory localization, especially when auditory stimuli are more ambiguous. The influence of vision is shown for both normal hearing- and hearing-impaired listeners. The second set of experiments examined the effect of frontal visual stimulation on localizing an auditory target presented from in front of or behind a listener. The results show domain-specific effects of visual capture on both response time and response accuracy. These results support previous findings that auditory-visual interactions are not limited by the spatial rule of proximity. These results further suggest the strong influence of vision on both the processing and the decision-making stages of sound source localization for both listeners with normal, and impaired hearing.
ContributorsClayton, Colton (Author) / Zhou, Yi (Thesis advisor) / Azuma, Tamiko (Committee member) / Daliri, Ayoub (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Purpose: The goal of this study was to examine how vocabulary size and inhibitory control affect word learning in bilingual (English-Spanish) children with hearing loss. Experiment 1 examined whether children with larger vocabularies learn and retain more words than children with smaller vocabularies. Experiment 2 examined whether children with better inhibitory control learn and remember more words than children with poorer inhibitory control. In addition, monolingual and bilingual children with and without hearing loss were compared on word learning and inhibitory control tasks.
Method: Seventy-three children between 8 and 12 years of age participated in the study. Forty children had normal hearing (20 monolingual and 20 bilingual) and 33 had hearing loss (20 monolingual and 13 bilingual). For Experiment 1, children completed a receptive vocabulary test in English and Spanish and three word learning tasks consisting of a training and a retention component in English, Spanish, and Arabic. For Experiment 2, children completed the flanker task for inhibitory control.
Results: In Experiment 1, larger total (English + Spanish) receptive vocabularies were predictive of better word training outcomes in all languages and better Spanish word retention, after controlling for age, degree of hearing loss, and maternal education. Children with hearing loss performed more poorly in Spanish and Arabic word training and retention than children with normal hearing. No differences were observed between children with normal hearing and hearing loss in English word learning. In Experiment 2, inhibitory control only predicted English retention outcomes. Children with hearing loss showed poorer inhibitory control than hearing peers. No differences were observed between monolingual and bilingual children, with and without hearing loss, in word learning or inhibitory control.
Conclusions: Language experience (measured by total vocabulary size) helps children learn new words and therefore children with hearing loss should receive well-fitted hearing aids and school accommodations to provide them with access to spoken language. Bilingual exposure does not impair nor facilitate word learning. Bilingual children showed similar difficulties with word learning and inhibitory control as monolingual peers with hearing loss. Hearing loss, probably via language deprivation, has broad effects on children’s executive function skills.
Method: Seventy-three children between 8 and 12 years of age participated in the study. Forty children had normal hearing (20 monolingual and 20 bilingual) and 33 had hearing loss (20 monolingual and 13 bilingual). For Experiment 1, children completed a receptive vocabulary test in English and Spanish and three word learning tasks consisting of a training and a retention component in English, Spanish, and Arabic. For Experiment 2, children completed the flanker task for inhibitory control.
Results: In Experiment 1, larger total (English + Spanish) receptive vocabularies were predictive of better word training outcomes in all languages and better Spanish word retention, after controlling for age, degree of hearing loss, and maternal education. Children with hearing loss performed more poorly in Spanish and Arabic word training and retention than children with normal hearing. No differences were observed between children with normal hearing and hearing loss in English word learning. In Experiment 2, inhibitory control only predicted English retention outcomes. Children with hearing loss showed poorer inhibitory control than hearing peers. No differences were observed between monolingual and bilingual children, with and without hearing loss, in word learning or inhibitory control.
Conclusions: Language experience (measured by total vocabulary size) helps children learn new words and therefore children with hearing loss should receive well-fitted hearing aids and school accommodations to provide them with access to spoken language. Bilingual exposure does not impair nor facilitate word learning. Bilingual children showed similar difficulties with word learning and inhibitory control as monolingual peers with hearing loss. Hearing loss, probably via language deprivation, has broad effects on children’s executive function skills.
Contributorsde Diego Lazaro, Beatriz (Author) / Pittman, Andrea L (Thesis advisor) / Restrepo, María A (Thesis advisor) / Benitez, Viridiana (Committee member) / Wilkens, Natalie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
It is well understood that many people who experience hearing loss do not realize the extent of their loss and often do not seek help. This resistance to intervention puts them at risk of social isolation, depression and even serious neurological issues such as dementia.
This research explores first, the attitudes that people have toward hearing loss and how these attitudes affect the adoption of products and services that could help them. This may not seem like a design question, but it is paramount to designers who seek to improve the quality of life for this population. It is no longer enough to create beautiful, functional products. In order to make a difference in people’s lives, designers need to understand the underlying motivations that drive behavior. This informs the second question this study seeks to answer, what changes can be made to current products and services on the market in order to increase adoption.
Through a series of qualitative interviews with seniors experiencing hearing loss, this study finds that the main factors in their attitudes towards hearing loss are their feelings towards aging in general, their susceptibility to stigma, and their perceptions of the cost and functionality of the hearing devices available. However, the most important factor found in this study is a lack of awareness. Awareness of their own level of hearing loss. Awareness of the risks associated with putting off intervention. And awareness of the products and services available to help. Thus, design solutions that focus on visibility of services and patient education will have the most meaningful impact on quality of life for those who suffer from hearing loss.
This research explores first, the attitudes that people have toward hearing loss and how these attitudes affect the adoption of products and services that could help them. This may not seem like a design question, but it is paramount to designers who seek to improve the quality of life for this population. It is no longer enough to create beautiful, functional products. In order to make a difference in people’s lives, designers need to understand the underlying motivations that drive behavior. This informs the second question this study seeks to answer, what changes can be made to current products and services on the market in order to increase adoption.
Through a series of qualitative interviews with seniors experiencing hearing loss, this study finds that the main factors in their attitudes towards hearing loss are their feelings towards aging in general, their susceptibility to stigma, and their perceptions of the cost and functionality of the hearing devices available. However, the most important factor found in this study is a lack of awareness. Awareness of their own level of hearing loss. Awareness of the risks associated with putting off intervention. And awareness of the products and services available to help. Thus, design solutions that focus on visibility of services and patient education will have the most meaningful impact on quality of life for those who suffer from hearing loss.
ContributorsSavage Tongay, Noone (Author) / Sanft, Alfred (Thesis advisor) / Peña, Lisa (Thesis advisor) / Waldron, Kathleen (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019