Prosody Perception in Older Adults: Exploring Links with Speech-in-Noise Perception, Musical Rhythm, and Musical Training

Abstract

Prosody perception involves sensitivity to the temporal patterns in speech signals. These patterns, distinct from pitch modulations, include stress, rate, and meter. A sensitivity to the stressed syllables in words has been shown to be positively correlated with musical rhythm abilities and may be particularly important for understanding speech in noisy environments. This could be especially relevant for older adults, who commonly experience age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and impaired speech-in-noise (SIN) perception. Yet, little is known about how musicality traits interact with speech perception during age-related cognitive changes in older adulthood. The current study addresses the following questions in adults 65 years and older: (1) Do prosody (lexical stress) sensitivity and musical rhythm skills influence SIN perception? If so, (2) is prosody sensitivity a mediator between rhythm skills and SIN perception? Further, (3) does musical training have an influence on prosody sensitivity, mediated through musical rhythm abilities? Combined, results emphasize the importance of prosody and rhythm in SIN perception outcomes for older adults with normal hearing. Additionally, selfreported musical training was linked to prosody sensitivity, mediated through rhythm skills. Finally, theoretical considerations are posed for future investigations in larger, more diverse samples.