SPEECH-PERCEPTION IN OLDER ADULTS - THE IMPORTANCE OF SPEECH-SPECIFICCOGNITIVE-ABILITIES

OBJECTIVE: To provide a critical evaluation of studies examining the c ontribution of changes in language-specific cognitive abilities to the speech perception difficulties of older adults. DESIGN: A review of t he literature on aging and speech perception. CONCLUSIONS: The researc h considered in the present review suggests that age-related changes i n absolute sensitivity is the principal factor affecting older listene rs' speech perception in quiet. However, under less favorable listenin g conditions, changes in a number of speech-specific cognitive abiliti es can also affect spoken language processing in older people. Clinica lly, these findings suggest that hearing aids; which have been the tra ditional treatment for improving speech perception in older adults, ar e likely to offer considerable benefit in quiet listening situations b ecause the amplification they provide can serve to compensate for age- related hearing losses. However, such devices may be less beneficial i n more natural environments, (e.g., noisy backgrounds, multiple talker s, reverberant rooms) because they are less effective for improving sp eech perception difficulties that result from age-related cognitive de clines. It is suggested that an integrative approach to designing test batteries that can assess both sensory and cognitive abilities needed for processing spoken language offers the most promising approach for developing therapeutic interventions to improve speech perception in older adults.