Measurement of listening effort using of a dual-task paradigm of Brazilian Portuguese: a pilot study

Guijo, Laura Mochiatti; Horiuti, Mirella Boaglio; Cardoso, Ana Cláudia Vieira

Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

Brasil

Español English

sumário « anterior atual seguinte »

Sumário

Original Article • CoDAS 31 (4) • 2019 • https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-1782/20192018181 copy

Measurement of listening effort using of a dual-task paradigm of Brazilian Portuguese: a pilot study

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To measure listening effort using of a dual-task paradigm of working memory and analyze the clinical significance of the normal-hearing individuals’ performance.

Methods

Participants were 10 young adults with similar socio-cultural level, aged 18-30 years, of both genders, classified as normal-hearing individuals based on the quadritonal average (500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz). The participants were submitted to audiological anamnesis, meatoscopy, and pure tone audiometry. Listening effort was measured using a dual-task paradigm comprising the tasks of speech perception and working memory with logatomes, real words, and meaningless sentences. Prior to measurement, the dual-task paradigm was carried out in audiometric booth in order to train the participants to perform the tasks properly. After the training stage, this paradigm was conducted under two different hearing situations with white noise: signal-to-noise ratios of +5 and -5dB.

Results

Performance comparison per ear, right or left, for the two signal-to-noise ratios significantly influenced the speech perception tasks with logatomes and meaningless sentences in both ears; however, significant difference was observed only for the right ear in the tasks of listening effort and working memory.

Conclusion

Listening effort can be measured using the paradigm proposed, and this instrument was proven sensitive for the quantification of this auditory parameter.

Keywords
Hearing; Listening Effort; Auditory Perception; Auditory Tests; Memory; Cognition

Nº	Gender	Age (years)	Quadritonal average of RE (500, 1000, 2000, 4000Hz)	Quadritonal average of LE (500, 1000, 2000, 4000Hz)
1	F	25	1.25	2.50
2	F	24	11.25	6.25
3	F	20	2.50	1.25
4	M	24	1.25	1.25
5	F	20	2.50	3.75
6	F	26	2.50	1.25
7	M	25	1.25	1.25
8	F	25	6.25	5.00
9	M	19	8.75	7.50
10	M	27	3.75	6.25
Mean	-	23.5	4.12	3.62
SD	-	2.65	3.30	2.33

PART I – SPEECH PERCEPTION OF LOGATOMES
	List 1	Intensity of consonant (dB)		List 2	Intensity of consonant (dB)		Frequency of consonant (Hz)
1	AMA	35		ANA	35		250
2	ALA	40		ANHA	40		250
3	ABA	25		APA	25		500
4	ALHA	35		ARA	35		750
5	ARRA	25		AKA	30		1500
6	AKA	30		AGA	25		1500
7	AJA	25		ACHA	25		2500
8	ADA	25		ATA	25		4000
9	AZA	20		ASSA	20		4000
10	AVA	15		AFA	15		6000
PART II – LISTENING EFFORT AND WORKING MEMORY: SET OF REAL WORDS
SET I
CAMA BALA			JANA MANHA			CHAMA CANA
SET II
FALA CALHA LAMA			BANHA CARA TAPA			PALHA CAPA CHAPA
SET III
FARRA JACA TALHA SALA			FACA JOGA FAIXA FRONHA			JARRA TAXA FALHA DAMA
SET IV
CADA PARA SOFA TAÇA CASA			FAÇA BATA DADA VAZA BRAVA			NADA PLAZA PATA LAÇA TRUFA
PART III – SPEECH PERCEPTION OF MEANINGLESS SENTENCES
1. A Flor azul da mulher estava dentro da dama.
2. O cachorro do quintal costuma brincar na bala.
3. O menino bebeu tudo daquela farra.
4. As crianças comeram tanto até ficarem cheias de taça.
5. A cor da minha blusa é rosa igual minha manha.

LIST 1 (RE)				Omission					Correct answer						Negative substitution									Positive substitution							Score Signal-to-noise ratio
LIST 1 (RE)				Omission					Correct answer						Negative substitution									Positive substitution							+5dB	-5dB
AMA				1					2						3									4
ALA				1					2						3									4
ABA				1					2						3									4
ALHA				1					2						3									4
ARRA				1					2						3									4
AKA				1					2						3									4
AJA				1					2						3									4
ADA				1					2						3									4
AZA				1					2						3									4
AVA				1					2						3									4
Total List 1
LIST 2 (LE)				Omission					Correct answer						Negative substitution									Positive substitution							Signal-to-noise ratio
LIST 2 (LE)				Omission					Correct answer						Negative substitution									Positive substitution							+5dB	-5dB
ANA				1					2						3									4
ANHA				1					2						3									4
APA				1					2						3									4
ARA				1					2						3									4
AKA				1					2						3									4
AGA				1					2						3									4
ACHA				1					2						3									4
ATA				1					2						3									4
ASSA				1					2						3									4
AFA				1					2						3									4
Total List 2
SCORE PART I: SPEECH PERCEPTION OF LOGATOMES
10-15 points							15-25 points													25-35 points										35-40 points
No listening effort							Minimum listening effort													Medium listening effort										Maximal listening effort
PART II: LISTENING EFFORT AND WORKING MEMORY
											Set I					Set II					Set III					Set IV
Ear			Signal-to-noise ratio								1		2	3		1		2	3		1		2		3	1		2	3		Correct answers (%)
RE			+5
RE			-5
LE			+5
LE			-5
Score: 0% - It was not possible to measure listening effort (absence of correct answers); 25% - Maximum listening effort and severe degree of working memory ability - (memorization of the first words of each series of Set I, equivalent to one set); 50% - Medium listening effort and moderate degree of working memory ability - (memorization of the first words of each series of Sets I and II, equivalent to two sets); 75% - Small listening effort and preserved degree of working memory ability - (memorization of the first words of each series of Sets I, II and III, equivalent to three sets); 100% - Minimum listening effort and higher degree of working memory ability – (memorization of the first words of each series of Sets I, II, III and IV, equivalent to four sets);
PART III: PERCEPTION OF MEANINGLESS SENTENCES AND WORKING MEMORY
		Sentences										Words
RE/LE	SNR	1			2	3		4		5		1					2					3					4				5	Correct answers (%)
RE	+5											BALA ()					TAÇA ()					MANHA ()					FARRA ()				DAMA ()
RE	-5											FARRA ()					MANHA ()					BALA ()					DAMA ()				BALA ()
LE	+5											DAMA ()					BALA ()					FARRA ()					TAÇA ()				MANHA ()
LE	-5											TAÇA ()					DAMA ()					BALA ()					MANHA ()				FARRA ()
Score: 0% - It was not possible to measure listening effort (absence of correct answers); 20% - Maximum listening effort and very severe degree of working memory ability; 40% - Large listening effort and severe degree of working memory ability; 60% - Medium listening effort and moderate degree of working memory ability; 80% - Small listening effort and preserved degree of working memory ability; 100% - Minimum listening effort and higher degree of working memory ability.

		SNR +5dB		SNR -5dB
Instrument to measure listening effort	Ear	Mean	SD	Mean	SD
Speech perception of logatomes (Part I)	RE	20.80	0.87	21.90	1.30
Speech perception of logatomes (Part I)	LE	21.20	1.07	23.00	2.48
Listening effort and working memory (Part II)	RE	1.80	1.16	0.50	0.67
Listening effort and working memory (Part II)	LE	1.90	1.57	0.10	0.30
Perception of meaningless sentences (Part III)	RE	3.90	0.83	3.10	1.64
Perception of meaningless sentences (Part III)	LE	4.20	0.74	3.30	0.90

Instrument to measure listening effort	Ear	SNR	p - value
Speech perception of logatomes (Part I)	RE × LE	SNR = +5dB	0.248
Speech perception of logatomes (Part I)	RE × LE	SNR = -5dB	0.128
Listening effort and working memory (Part II)	RE × LE	SNR = +5dB	0.833
Listening effort and working memory (Part II)	RE × LE	SNR = -5dB	0.108
Perception of meaningless sentences (Part III)	RE × LE	SNR = +5dB	0.345
Perception of meaningless sentences (Part III)	RE × LE	SNR = -5dB	0.779

Instrument to measure listening effort	Ear	SNR	p - value
Speech perception of logatomes (Part I)	RE	+5dB × -5dB	0.043*
Speech perception of logatomes (Part I)	LE	+5dB × -5dB	0.029*
Listening effort and working memory (Part II)	RE	+5dB × -5dB	0.017*
Listening effort and working memory (Part II)	LE	+5dB × -5dB	0.011*
Perception of meaningless sentences (Part III)	RE	+5dB × -5dB	0.043*
Perception of meaningless sentences (Part III)	LE	+5dB × -5dB	0.051

Sociedade Brasileira de Fonoaudiologia Al. Jaú, 684, 7º andar, 01420-002 São Paulo - SP Brasil, Tel./Fax 55 11 - 3873-4211 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: revista@codas.org.br

Acompanhe os números deste periódico no seu leitor de RSS

[1] Conflict of interests: nothing to declare.