Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status and Basic Auditory Processing in Young Adults

Abstract

Purpose: The current study aimed at investigating the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and basic auditory processing in young adults with normal hearing. Specifically, we sought to determine whether SES metrics, including parental education, parental occupation, and individual education attainment, influenced performance on tasks of basic auditory processing. Secondarily, we also aimed at understanding the interactive effects of SES and working memory on basic auditory processing. Method: A total of 38 young adults were included in the study. Self-reported SES measures were recorded through Likert scales, and auditory processing measures included tests for temporal fine structure (TFS) and spectrotemporal sensitivity (STS). Pearson correlation analyses were conducted to probe the relationships between SES indicators and auditory processing performance. Multiple linear regressions were conducted to understand the interactive effects of SES and working memory on auditory processing performance. Results: The analysis revealed no significant correlation between SES measures and basic auditory processing performance across TFS and STS tasks. Furthermore, analysis investigating the interaction between SES and working memory also yielded nonsignificant results. These findings indicate that, within this specific age cohort, SES information may not be indispensable for assessing basic auditory processing. Conclusions: Our study suggests that SES may not significantly influence basic auditory processing in young adults with normal hearing. However, further research with larger sample sizes and longitudinal designs is warranted to confirm these findings and explore potential age-related differences in the impact of SES on auditory processing across the lifespan.