Age-related deficits in speech recognition are smaller for native compared to nonnative listeners

What is it about?

Understanding speech in noisy environments is a complex and difficult task. This task can become more difficult for middle aged and older adults due to normal age-related changes in auditory function. It can also be more difficult for listeners who are not native speakers of the language they are listening in. This paper shows some of the first evidence that nonnative listeners have more age-related difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments than native language listeners.

Featured Image

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The populations of older individuals and individuals who speak English as a second language are growing in the United States. The number of bilingual adults seen in audiology clinics is likely to increase in coming years. It is important to understand how language experience and changes in function that accompany aging may influence listening difficulty so that we can provide the best patient care. This paper is one of the first to explore this question and uses one of the largest samples of listeners reported to date.