Yes / Purpose: Listening-related fatigue is a potential negative consequence of challenges experienced during everyday listening, and may disproportionately affect older adults. Contrary to expectation, we recently found that increased reports of listening-related fatigue were associated with better performance on a dichotic listening task (McGarrigle et al., 2021a). However, this link was found only in individuals who reported heightened sensitivity to a variety of physical, social, and emotional stimuli (i.e., increased ‘sensory-processing sensitivity’; SPS). The current study examined whether perceived effort may underlie the link between performance and fatigue. Methods: 206 young adults, aged 18-30 years (Experiment 1) and 122 older adults, aged 60-80 years (Experiment 2) performed a dichotic listening task and were administered a series of questionnaires including: the NASA task load index of perceived effort, the Vanderbilt Fatigue Scale (measuring daily life listening-related fatigue) and the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (measuring SPS). Both experiments were completed online. Results: SPS predicted listening-related fatigue but perceived effort during the listening task was not associated with SPS or listening-related fatigue in either age group. We were also unable to replicate the interaction between dichotic listening performance and SPS in either group. Exploratory analyses revealed contrasting effects of age; older adults found the dichotic listening task more effortful, but indicated lower overall fatigue. Conclusions: These findings suggest that SPS is a better predictor of listening-related fatigue than performance or effort ratings on a dichotic listening task. SPS may be an important factor in determining an individual’s likelihood of experiencing listening-related fatigue irrespective of hearing or cognitive ability. / This research was supported by an ESRC New Investigator Award (ES/R003572/1) to Ronan McGarrigle.

This experiment tested three hypotheses linking the right cerebral regulation of hostility and physiological arousal. First, replication of previous research supporting heightened physiological (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate) reactivity among high hostile subjects was attempted. Second, a positive association between hostility and reactivity of facial valence and intensity to stress were expected. Last, hemispheric lateralization of cerebral activity in response to stress was measured. Low- and high-hostile subjects were identified using the Cook Medley Hostility Scale (CMHS). All subjects completed the cold pressor paradigm and were videotaped before, during, and after the stressor for analysis of facial valence and intensity. Physiological measures (SBP, DBP, and HR) were recorded and dichotic listening procedures were administered before and after the stressor. The primary finding of this research was greater right cerebral activation to stress among high-hostile subjects, as indicated by their enhanced intention to the left ear. Data further supported previous findings of heightened physiological reactivity to stress among high-hostiles. However, no hostility group differences on facial expression measures were found. Data suggest a positive relationship between right cerebral activity and cardiovascular arousal. / Master of Science

The Dichotic Emotional Words Tape developed by Bryden and MacCrae (1989) was used to assess cerebral asymmetry for propositional and nonpropositional speech as a function of verbal fluency. Forty-five right-handed subjects with normal auditory acuity for pure tones were assigned to a verbal fluency classification based on scores on the FAS test (Borkowski, Benton, & Spreen, 1967). After being assigned to a fluency category, subjects were instructed to listen for a word (bower, dower, power, or tower) or affective tone (happy, sad, angry, or neutral). The most important findings of this study were the main effects of fluency (higher, middle, and lower), stimulus type (word and affect), and focus or intention (focus left and focus right). Subjects higher in fluency exhibited significantly greater REA and LEA scores than subjects lower in fluency. For stimuli presented to the right ear, scores for words were significantly greater than scores for affect. However, for stimuli presented to the left ear, scores for affect were significantly greater than scores for words. Focus left instructions led to increases in LEA scores, while focus right instructions led to increases in REA scores. Directions for future research are discussed. / Master of Science

Nos recherches ont porté sur l'étude des indices d'orientation (sonores et verbaux) de l'attention auditive dans une situation d'écoute dichotique au cours du développement. Quatre expériences ont été proposées à des enfants âgés de 8 à 12 ans ainsi qu'à des adultes. Si les deux types d'indices permettent aux populations adultes d'orienter efficacement leur attention vers leurs deux oreilles pour identifier les stimuli cibles et pour résoudre les conflits cognitifs induits par les conditions d'orientation, en revanche, seuls les enfants de plus de 9 ans utilisent les indices verbaux pour orienter efficacement leur attention et résoudre les conflits cognitifs. L'ensemble des résultats suggère (a) que les capacités d'orientation de l'attention se développent en synergie avec le développement cérébral (maturation du cortex préfrontal qui connait une accélération vers 9 ans) et (b) que des indices verbaux favorisent une orientation efficace de l'attention des enfants de moins de 9 ans ainsi que des performances élevées d'identification des stimuli dans leurs deux oreilles. Nous avançons l'hypothèse selon laquelle le rôle facilitateur des indices verbaux résulterait de la pré-activation des processus top-down qu'ils suscitent. En effet, les processus top-down s'avèrent être nécessaires à un contrôle attentionnel de qualité. Ainsi, la présentation de ces indices favoriserait l'activation de ces processus, qui sont difficilement sollicités par les jeunes enfants. L'immaturité du cortex pré-frontal des enfants de moins de 9 ans pourrait expliquer les difficultés d'activation spontanée. / Our work focused on the study of auditory orienting attention cues (with tone cues and verbal cues) in dichotic listening situations across development. Four experiments were carried out with 8 to 12 years old children and with adults. If adults appeared to benefit from the use of tone cues as much as the use of verbal cues to improve their performance of identification in both ears, and thus to improve their cognitive control, however, only 9 years old children took advantage of verbal cues to orient more efficiently their attention and resolve cognitive conflicts. Below this age, only tones cues helped the children to orient and control their attention to the indicated ear.Altogether our results reveal that (a) auditory orienting capacities develop in synergy with cerebral development (the maturation of the prefrontal cortex increases at around 9 years of age), and that (b) verbal cues lead to an efficient orientation of attention and high performance of identification in both ears, even under the age of 9.We suggest that the facilitator role of verbal cues could result from the pre-activation of the top-down processes that they involve. Indeed, top-down processes are essential for cognitive control. Therefore, the presentation of this type of cues would enhance the activation of processes that are not so easily recruited by young children. The immaturity of the pre-frontal cortex of children below 9 years of age could explain the difficulties encountered by this age group.

Realizou-se um inventário quantitativo e qualitativo das características demográficas e dos erros cometidos nos itens dicóticos do Teste de Dissílabos Dicóticos Alternados, também conhecido como SSW em português, com as informações de 722 sujeitos que completaram este teste nos anos de 1994 a 2001. Os resultados revelaram que a amostra estudada foi composta em sua maioria de sujeitos do sexo masculino, cursando as séries iniciais do ensino fundamental, relatando dificuldades de fala, escria e leitura e neurologicamente normais, com desordem de processamento auditivo do tipo decodificação, de grau leve/moderado. Uma tendência de erro em alguns itens dicóticos do teste foi observada. / A total of 722 subjects provided the information for the quantitative and qualitative inventory of demographic features and the errors observed in the dichotic items of the Portuguese version of the SSW Test. Results revealed that, collectively, these subjects were mostly males, in elementary school, referring speech, reading and writing difficulties, and not presenting neurological disorders. They also presented a decoding-type auditory processing disorder of mild/moderate severity. Error and performance profiles were characterized by multivariate statistics.

Central auditory processing is complex and can not be evaluated by a single method. This thesis focuses on assessment of some aspects of central auditory functions by the use of dichotic speech tests and cognitive tests that tax functions important for speech processing. Paper A deals with the cognitive effects in dichotic speech testing in elderly hearing-impaired subjects. It was found that different listening tasks in the dichotic tests put different demands on cognitive ability, shown by a varying degree of correlation between cognitive functions and dichotic test parameters. Age-related cognitive decline was strongly connected with problems to perceive stimuli presented to the left ear. Paper B presents a new cognitive test battery sensitive for functions important for speech processing and understanding, performed in text, auditory and audiovisual modalities. The test battery was evaluated in four groups, differing in age and hearing status, and has proven to be useful in assessing the relative contribution of different input-modalities and the effect of age, hearingimpairment and visual contribution on functions important for speech processing. In Paper C the test battery developed in Paper B was used to study listening situations with different kinds of background noise. Interfering noise at +10 dB signal-to-noise ratio has significant negative effects on performance in speech processing tasks and on the effort perceived. Hearing-impaired subjects showed poorer results in noise with temporal variations, and elderly subjects were more distracted by noise with temporal variations, especially by noise with meaningful content. In noise, all subjects, particularly those with impaired hearing, were more dependent upon visual cues than in the quiet condition. Hearing aid benefit in speech processing with and without background noise was studied in Paper D. The test battery developed in Paper B was used together with a standard measure of speech recognition. With hearing aids, speech recognition was improved in the background condition without noise and in the background condition of ordinary speech. Significantly less effort was perceived in the cognitive tests when hearing aids were used, although only minor benefits of hearing aid amplification were seen. This underlines the importance of considering perceived effort as a dimension when evaluating hearing aid benefit, in further research as well as in clinical practice. The results from the studies contribute to the knowledge about speech processing but also to the search for more specific evaluation of speech understanding, incorporating both sensory and cognitive factors. / The ISBN 91-85297-49-6 in the printed verison is incorrect. The correct ISBN is 91-85297-93-3.

Realizou-se um inventário quantitativo e qualitativo das características demográficas e dos erros cometidos nos itens dicóticos do Teste de Dissílabos Dicóticos Alternados, também conhecido como SSW em português, com as informações de 722 sujeitos que completaram este teste nos anos de 1994 a 2001. Os resultados revelaram que a amostra estudada foi composta em sua maioria de sujeitos do sexo masculino, cursando as séries iniciais do ensino fundamental, relatando dificuldades de fala, escria e leitura e neurologicamente normais, com desordem de processamento auditivo do tipo decodificação, de grau leve/moderado. Uma tendência de erro em alguns itens dicóticos do teste foi observada. / A total of 722 subjects provided the information for the quantitative and qualitative inventory of demographic features and the errors observed in the dichotic items of the Portuguese version of the SSW Test. Results revealed that, collectively, these subjects were mostly males, in elementary school, referring speech, reading and writing difficulties, and not presenting neurological disorders. They also presented a decoding-type auditory processing disorder of mild/moderate severity. Error and performance profiles were characterized by multivariate statistics.

Responses of 122 children were obtained on two measures of central auditory processing to establish normative data. Children aged 6.5 through 12.5 years were tested for humming and tapping responses to the Pitch Pattern Sequence Test (PPST) and the two- and four-digit Dichotic Digit Tests (DDT). Children between ages 6.5 and 9.5 years showed progressively better scores on the tapping response of the PPST and on the four-digit DDT. Children above 9.5 years of age demonstrated adult-like responses on both tests. No differences were demonstrated in performance of children aged 6.5 through 12.5 years on the two-digit DDT or on the humming response of the PPST.

No description available.

<p>Rolandic epilepsy (RE) is the most common focal epilepsy syndrome in the pediatric age group with an onset between 3 and 13 years. The syndrome is defined by electro-clinically typical features and has been considered benign according to seizure remission before the age of 16 years.</p><p>The aim of this thesis was to investigate children with typical RE with different methods and to discuss the delineation of the syndrome. Thirty-eight children, aged 6–14 years, participated in one up to four studies.</p><p>Eighteen children were investigated with MRI. Hippocampal abnormalities were found in six (33%), volume asymmetry in five (28%) and high signal intensities on T2-weighted images in three (17%). Additionally, high signal intensities in T2-weighted images were revealed subcortically in temporal and frontal lobes bilaterally in five children (28%).</p><p>The hippocampal region was evaluated metabolically using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS) in 13 children with RE and 15 matched controls. A metabolic asymmetry of the hippocampal regions was found in the patients compared to controls indicating an abnormal neuronal function.</p><p>Seventeen children with RE and 17 matched controls were investigated with a neuropsychological test battery. The RE children showed lower performance in auditory-verbal tests and in executive functions compared to controls.</p><p>Twenty RE children and 24 controls were assessed concerning their oromotor function. The RE children had greater problems concerning tongue movements including articulation. A dichotic listening test was also performed in a subgroup showing poorer results in the RE group. </p><p>A simple classification is proposed with RE ‘pure’ as the main group and the frame for this study.</p><p>In conclusion, these investigations disclosed various abnormalities in children with RE, challenging the benign concept during the active phase. It is assumed that maturational factors comprise causal mechanism to the deviant findings, which probably successively will normalize.</p>