What determines our ability to understand speech in noisy situations?

Having difficulty understanding people in noisy environments is a common complaint of those attending auditory clinics, especially as we age and even when hearing is normal. This can cause social isolation and a lower quality of life, among other issues. Understanding what determines our ability to extract speech from a noisy background will help us find solutions to this prevalent problem.

What will I do?

You will need to make a visit of just under 2 hours to our lab in The Medical School at Newcastle University. You will first get your hearing tested, and your results will be shared with you. Then, you will complete a number of short tasks that test different aspects of your hearing and cognitive abilities. You will be compensated for your time with a payment of £20 as well as a copy of your hearing test.

Who can take part?

To be able to take part you must:

• ​be between 25-70 years old.
• be a native English speaker (born and raised in an English-speaking country).
• not have a history of neurological or psychological disorders.
• not be taking psychotropic drugs or medication.
• not have a speech or hearing disorder.
• not wear a hearing aid.

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If you would like to take part, please contact Hasan at h.colak2@newcastle.ac.uk.