Abstract

Noise is a common impedance to easy and accurate speech understanding. In the presence of noise, speech processing mechanisms proceed with partial or ambiguous inputs, and listeners will engage additional cognitive resources to make sense of what they hear. The extent to which this is situation is affected by diminished exposure to a language is an understudied question, but one that is relevant to bilingual listeners. By virtue of using two or more languages, bilinguals have less exposure to any one language than monolinguals of that language do. This, in turn, may make language processing more effortful for them, particularly in noise. Across two experiments, this project aims, first, to quantify the relationship between listening effort and language exposure, and second, to evaluate the extent to which visual speech cues can enhance outcomes for these listeners. By evaluating listening effort in bilingual populations, we deepen our understanding of how language experience affects speech-perception-in-noise outcomes.

Committee Chair

Kristin Van Engen

Committee Members

Ian Dobbins; Joe Barcroft; Jonathan Peelle; Mitchell Sommers

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Author's Department

Psychology

Author's School

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Document Type

Dissertation

Date of Award

8-1-2024

Language

English (en)

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