Visual cues are helpful for cochlear-implant users hearing Spanish-accented English

What is it about?

Both hearing and seeing a talker can improve speech understanding, a phenomenon called the "audiovisual benefit." Cochlear-implant users show large audiovisual benefits with native language speakers. We wondered if these benefits would be reduced with a non-native language speaker, since accented speech can change both auditory and visual information (for example, changing how words sound and appear on the lips). We found that cochlear-implant users can still successfully attain audiovisual benefits, even with Spanish-accented speech. Older cochlear-implant users found visual cues to be particularly helpful.

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Photo by Joshua Ness on Unsplash

Photo by Joshua Ness on Unsplash

Why is it important?

We live in a multicultural society, and interact with people who use accented speech frequently. This is an important population to consider when thinking about communication outcomes in people with cochlear implants. Furthermore, our results show that it is particularly important for older cochlear-implant users to see the lips/faces of talkers.

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