Auditory Spatial Training-Induced Changes in the Release of Informational Masking in Older Adults

Generally, in noisy environments more informational masking occurs. Older adults benefit less than younger adults from spatial hearing and they have more problems of understanding speech in the presence of distracting speeches. This study was conducted to examine the effect of auditory spatial training on informational masking release in the elderly.

Thirty-two 60-75-year-olds with normal hearing, who complain about difficulty in speech perception in noise, participated in control and intervention groups (16 people in each group). The intervention included fifteen sessions of auditory spatial training. The informational masking measurement test scores were compared before the intervention, one session after the intervention, and one month after between the two groups.

There was a significant improvement in informational masking measurement scores in the intervention group compared to the control (p<0.02). The results showed no significant differences between the informational masking measurement scores before and after the intervention in the control group (p>0.05) and a significant difference in most signal to noise ratio i.e. 0, -5 and -10, in the intervention group (p≤0.006). No significant difference was found between the results of the two assessments one session and one month after the intervention in any of the positions (p>0.05), which suggests that both groups’ scores remained highly stable one month after the intervention

This study introduced a spatial training program to improve speech perception in noise in normal-hearing elderly listeners. It was recommended that this kind of training be included in geriatric population auditory rehabilitation programs.