The role of auditory abilities in basic mechanisms of cognition in older adults

Theaimofthisstudywastoassessage- Relateddifferencesbetweenyoungandolderadultsinauditoryabilitiesandtoinvestigatetherelationshipbetweenauditoryabilitiesandbasicmechanismsofcognitioninolderadults.Althoughthereisacertainconsensusthattheparticipant’ssensitivitytotheabsoluteintensityofsounds(suchasthatmeasuredviapuretoneaudiometry)explainshis/hercognitiveperformance,thereisnotyetmuchevidencethattheparticipant’sauditoryability(i.e.,thewholesupra-thresholdprocessingofsounds)explainshis/hercognitiveperformance.Twenty-eightyoungadults(age<35),26young–oldadults(65≤age≤75),and28old–oldadults(age>75)werepresentedwithasetoftasksestimatingseveralauditoryabilities(i.e.,frequencydiscrimination,intensitydiscrimination,durationdiscrimination,timbrediscrimination,gapdetection,amplitudemodulationdetection,andtheabsolutethresholdfora1kHzpuretone)andtheparticipant’sworkingmemory,cognitiveinhibition,andprocessingspeed.Resultsshowedanage-relateddeclineinbothauditoryandcognitiveperformance.Moreover,regressionanalysesshowedthatasubsetoftheauditoryabilities(i.e.,theabilitytodiscriminatefrequency,duration,timbre,andtheabilitytodetectamplitudemodulation)explainedasignificantpartofthevarianceobservedintheprocessingspeedofolderadults.Overall,thepresentresultshighlighttherelationshipbetweenauditoryabilitiesandbasicmechanismsofcognition.