Sara Alhanbali1,2,3, Kevin J Munro1,2, Piers Dawes1,2,4, Peter J Carolan1,2, Rebecca E Millman1,2. 1. Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. 2. NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK. 3. Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan. 4. Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Pupillometry is sensitive to cognitive resource allocation and has been used as a potential measure of listening-related effort and fatigue. We investigated associations between peak pupil diameter, pre-stimulus pupil diameter, performance on a listening task, and the dimensionality of self-reported outcomes (task-related listening effort and fatigue). DESIGN: Pupillometry was recorded while participants performed a speech-in-noise task. Participants rated their experience of listening effort and fatigue using the NASA-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) and the Visual Analogue Scale of Fatigue (VAS-F), respectively. The dimensionality of the NASA-TLX and the VAS-F was investigated using factor analysis. STUDY SAMPLE: 82 participants with either normal hearing or aided hearing impairment (age range: 55-85 years old, 43 male). RESULTS: Hierarchal linear regression analyses suggested that pre-stimulus pupil diameter predicts a dimension of self-reported fatigue, which we interpreted as tiredness/drowsiness, and listening task performance when controlling for hearing level and age: Larger pre-stimulus pupil diameter was associated with less tiredness/drowsiness and better task performance. CONCLUSION: Pre-stimulus pupil diameter is a potential index of listening fatigue associated with speech processing in challenging listening conditions. To our knowledge, this is the first investigation of the associations between pre-stimulus pupil diameter and self-reported ratings of listening effort and fatigue.
OBJECTIVE: Pupillometry is sensitive to cognitive resource allocation and has been used as a potential measure of listening-related effort and fatigue. We investigated associations between peak pupil diameter, pre-stimulus pupil diameter, performance on a listening task, and the dimensionality of self-reported outcomes (task-related listening effort and fatigue). DESIGN: Pupillometry was recorded while participants performed a speech-in-noise task. Participants rated their experience of listening effort and fatigue using the NASA-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) and the Visual Analogue Scale of Fatigue (VAS-F), respectively. The dimensionality of the NASA-TLX and the VAS-F was investigated using factor analysis. STUDY SAMPLE: 82 participants with either normal hearing or aided hearing impairment (age range: 55-85 years old, 43 male). RESULTS: Hierarchal linear regression analyses suggested that pre-stimulus pupil diameter predicts a dimension of self-reported fatigue, which we interpreted as tiredness/drowsiness, and listening task performance when controlling for hearing level and age: Larger pre-stimulus pupil diameter was associated with less tiredness/drowsiness and better task performance. CONCLUSION: Pre-stimulus pupil diameter is a potential index of listening fatigue associated with speech processing in challenging listening conditions. To our knowledge, this is the first investigation of the associations between pre-stimulus pupil diameter and self-reported ratings of listening effort and fatigue.