Age-Related Differences in the Online Processing of Spoken Semantic Context and the Effect of Semantic Competition: Evidence From Eye Gaze

Harel-Arbeli, Tami; Wingfield, Arthur; Palgi, Yuval; Ben‐David, Boaz M.

doi:10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00142

Cited by 16 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Two recent studies ( Ayasse and Wingfield, 2020 ; Harel-Arbeli et al, 2021 ) used eye-tracking to compare activation of semantic, rather than phonological, competitors in older and younger adults. Ayasse and Wingfield (2020) compared the time-course of gaze fixations for older and younger adults on sentence-final target items when a semantically plausible competitor was either present or absent as well as for a control condition in which context was not predictive of the sentence final item.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Eye-Tracking to Investigate an Activation-Based Account of False Hearing in Younger and Older Adults

Failes

Sommers

2022

Front. Psychol.

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Several recent studies have demonstrated context-based, high-confidence misperceptions in hearing, referred to as false hearing. These studies have unanimously found that older adults are more susceptible to false hearing than are younger adults, which the authors have attributed to an age-related decline in the ability to inhibit the activation of a contextually predicted (but incorrect) response. However, no published work has investigated this activation-based account of false hearing. In the present study, younger and older adults listened to sentences in which the semantic context provided by the sentence was either unpredictive, highly predictive and valid, or highly predictive and misleading with relation to a sentence-final word in noise. Participants were tasked with clicking on one of four images to indicate which image depicted the sentence-final word in noise. We used eye-tracking to investigate how activation, as revealed in patterns of fixations, of different response options changed in real-time over the course of sentences. We found that both younger and older adults exhibited anticipatory activation of the target word when highly predictive contextual cues were available. When these contextual cues were misleading, younger adults were able to suppress the activation of the contextually predicted word to a greater extent than older adults. These findings are interpreted as evidence for an activation-based model of speech perception and for the role of inhibitory control in false hearing.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Eye-Tracking to Investigate an Activation-Based Account of False Hearing in Younger and Older Adults

Failes

Sommers

2022

Front. Psychol.

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“…In exploring the temporal dynamics of word recognition, authors could not only gauge the timing of target word recognition, but also determine the level and type of lexical competition that listeners were experiencing. Recent work from our lab also demonstrated that group-differences related to working memory load that were obscured in offline measures (e.g., accuracy) were uncovered when gaging online eye-tracking measures ( Hadar et al, 2016 ; Nitsan et al, 2019 ; Harel-Arbeli et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…As spoken sentence processing involves many intervening factors, they may inflate the effects of working memory. Among the abilities necessary to understand sentences are sustained attention for the duration of the sentence and maintaining a running memory of the input to relate what is being heard to what has just been heard and to integrate it with what is about to be heard ( Ayasse et al, 2017 ; Harel-Arbeli et al, 2021 ). Further, spoken context processing may be more influenced by linguistic experience and vocabulary than the processing of a single spoken word ( Stine-Morrow et al, 2006 ; Borovsky et al, 2012 ; Ben-David et al, 2015 ; Kavé and Halamish, 2015 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

One Size Does Not Fit All: Examining the Effects of Working Memory Capacity on Spoken Word Recognition in Older Adults Using Eye Tracking

2022

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Difficulties understanding speech form one of the most prevalent complaints among older adults. Successful speech perception depends on top-down linguistic and cognitive processes that interact with the bottom-up sensory processing of the incoming acoustic information. The relative roles of these processes in age-related difficulties in speech perception, especially when listening conditions are not ideal, are still unclear. In the current study, we asked whether older adults with a larger working memory capacity process speech more efficiently than peers with lower capacity when speech is presented in noise, with another task performed in tandem. Using the Eye-tracking of Word Identification in Noise Under Memory Increased Load (E-WINDMIL) an adapted version of the “visual world” paradigm, 36 older listeners were asked to follow spoken instructions presented in background noise, while retaining digits for later recall under low (single-digit) or high (four-digits) memory load. In critical trials, instructions (e.g., “point at the candle”) directed listeners’ gaze to pictures of objects whose names shared onset or offset sounds with the name of a competitor that was displayed on the screen at the same time (e.g., candy or sandal). We compared listeners with different memory capacities on the time course for spoken word recognition under the two memory loads by testing eye-fixations on a named object, relative to fixations on an object whose name shared phonology with the named object. Results indicated two trends. (1) For older adults with lower working memory capacity, increased memory load did not affect online speech processing, however, it impaired offline word recognition accuracy. (2) The reverse pattern was observed for older adults with higher working memory capacity: increased task difficulty significantly decreases online speech processing efficiency but had no effect on offline word recognition accuracy. Results suggest that in older adults, adaptation to adverse listening conditions is at least partially supported by cognitive reserve. Therefore, additional cognitive capacity may lead to greater resilience of older listeners to adverse listening conditions. The differential effects documented by eye movements and accuracy highlight the importance of using both online and offline measures of speech processing to explore age-related changes in speech perception.

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“…This was also a convenience sample that may not represent the Israeli adult population. For example, 76% of our responders were women, possibly impacting the results [note, a higher proportion of female participants is not uncommon in this age group; e.g., ( 26 , 49 )]. The study was conducted in Israel with unique cultural aspects ( 51 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Post-lockdown Depression”: Adaptation Difficulties, Depressive Symptoms, and the Role of Positive Solitude When Returning to Routine After the Lifting of Nation-Wide COVID-19 Social Restrictions

et al. 2022

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ObjectivesThe aim of the current study was to identify difficulties in adapting to normal life once COVID-19 lockdown has been lifted. Israel was used as a case study, as COVID-19 social restrictions, including a nation-wide lockdown, were lifted almost completely by mid-April 2021, following a large-scale vaccination operation.MethodsA sample of 293 mid-age and older Israeli adults (M age = 61.6 ± 12.8, range 40–85 years old) reported on return-to-routine adaptation difficulties (on a novel index), depression, positive solitude, and several demographic factors.ResultsOf the participants, 40.4% met the criteria of (at least) mild depressive symptoms. Higher levels of adaptation difficulties were related to higher ratios of clinical depressive symptoms. This link was moderated by positive solitude. Namely, the association between return-to-routine adaptation difficulties and depression was mainly indicated for individuals with low positive solitude.ConclusionsThe current findings are of special interest to public welfare, as adaptation difficulties were associated with higher chance for clinical depressive symptoms, while positive solitude was found to be as an efficient moderator during this period. The large proportion of depressive symptoms that persist despite lifting of social restrictions should be taken into consideration by policy makers when designing return-to-routine plans.

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Age-Related Differences in the Online Processing of Spoken Semantic Context and the Effect of Semantic Competition: Evidence From Eye Gaze

Cited by 16 publications

References 45 publications

Using Eye-Tracking to Investigate an Activation-Based Account of False Hearing in Younger and Older Adults

Using Eye-Tracking to Investigate an Activation-Based Account of False Hearing in Younger and Older Adults

One Size Does Not Fit All: Examining the Effects of Working Memory Capacity on Spoken Word Recognition in Older Adults Using Eye Tracking

“Post-lockdown Depression”: Adaptation Difficulties, Depressive Symptoms, and the Role of Positive Solitude When Returning to Routine After the Lifting of Nation-Wide COVID-19 Social Restrictions

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