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Semin Hear 2023; 44(02): 095-105
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1767669
Review Article

Combining Multiple Psychophysiological Measures of Listening Effort: Challenges and Recommendations

Michael Richter
1   School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
,
Tanveer Buhiyan
2   R&D, Demant A/S, Kongebakken, Denmark
,
Lars Bramsløw
3   Eriksholm Research Centre, Oticon A/S, Snekkersten, Denmark
,
Hamish Innes-Brown
3   Eriksholm Research Centre, Oticon A/S, Snekkersten, Denmark
8   Hearing Systems Section, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
,
Lorenz Fiedler
3   Eriksholm Research Centre, Oticon A/S, Snekkersten, Denmark
,
Lauren V. Hadley
4   Hearing Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
,
Graham Naylor
4   Hearing Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
,
Gabrielle H. Saunders
5   Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
,
Dorothea Wendt
3   Eriksholm Research Centre, Oticon A/S, Snekkersten, Denmark
6   Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
,
William M. Whitmer
4   Hearing Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
,
Adriana A. Zekveld
7   Section of Ear and Hearing, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
,
Sophia E. Kramer
7   Section of Ear and Hearing, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
› Author Affiliations Funding This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie-Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 765329; Medical Research Council (grant number MR/S003576/1). Author GS was supported by the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre.
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Abstract

About one-third of all recently published studies on listening effort have used at least one physiological measure, providing evidence of the popularity of such measures in listening effort research. However, the specific measures employed, as well as the rationales used to justify their inclusion, vary greatly between studies, leading to a literature that is fragmented and difficult to integrate. A unified approach that assesses multiple psychophysiological measures justified by a single rationale would be preferable because it would advance our understanding of listening effort. However, such an approach comes with a number of challenges, including the need to develop a clear definition of listening effort that links to specific physiological measures, customized equipment that enables the simultaneous assessment of multiple measures, awareness of problems caused by the different timescales on which the measures operate, and statistical approaches that minimize the risk of type-I error inflation. This article discusses in detail the various obstacles for combining multiple physiological measures in listening effort research and provides recommendations on how to overcome them.

Keywords

listening effort - psychophysiological measure - listening demand


Publication History

Article published online:
28 March 2023

© 2023. Thieme. All rights reserved.

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