Differential Effects of Task-Irrelevant Monaural and Binaural Classroom Scenarios on Children’s and Adults’ Speech Perception, Listening Comprehension, and Visual–Verbal Short-Term Memory

Larissa Leist (), Carolin Breuer, Manuj Yadav, Stephan Fremerey, Janina Fels, Alexander Raake, Thomas Lachmann, Sabine J. Schlittmeier and Maria Klatte
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Larissa Leist: Cognitive and Developmental Psychology Unit, Center for Cognitive Science, Department of Cognitive Psychology, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
Carolin Breuer: Institute for Hearing Technology and Acoustics, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Manuj Yadav: Institute for Hearing Technology and Acoustics, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Stephan Fremerey: Audiovisual Technology Group, Technische Universität Ilmenau, 98693 Ilmenau, Germany
Janina Fels: Institute for Hearing Technology and Acoustics, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Alexander Raake: Audiovisual Technology Group, Technische Universität Ilmenau, 98693 Ilmenau, Germany
Thomas Lachmann: Cognitive and Developmental Psychology Unit, Center for Cognitive Science, Department of Cognitive Psychology, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
Sabine J. Schlittmeier: Teaching and Research Area of Work and Engineering Psychology, RWTH Aachen University, 52066 Aachen, Germany
Maria Klatte: Cognitive and Developmental Psychology Unit, Center for Cognitive Science, Department of Cognitive Psychology, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 23, 1-17

Abstract: Most studies investigating the effects of environmental noise on children’s cognitive performance examine the impact of monaural noise (i.e., same signal to both ears), oversimplifying multiple aspects of binaural hearing (i.e., adequately reproducing interaural differences and spatial information). In the current study, the effects of a realistic classroom-noise scenario presented either monaurally or binaurally on tasks requiring processing of auditory and visually presented information were analyzed in children and adults. In Experiment 1, across age groups, word identification was more impaired by monaural than by binaural classroom noise, whereas listening comprehension (acting out oral instructions) was equally impaired in both noise conditions. In both tasks, children were more affected than adults. Disturbance ratings were unrelated to the actual performance decrements. Experiment 2 revealed detrimental effects of classroom noise on short-term memory (serial recall of words presented pictorially), which did not differ with age or presentation mode (monaural vs. binaural). The present results add to the evidence for detrimental effects of noise on speech perception and cognitive performance, and their interactions with age, using a realistic classroom-noise scenario. Binaural simulations of real-world auditory environments can improve the external validity of studies on the impact of noise on children’s and adults’ learning.

Keywords: auditory distraction; children; speech perception; listening comprehension; verbal short-term memory; irrelevant sound effect; binaural; monaural; classroom; learning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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