Dual-Task Accuracy and Response Time Index Effects of Spoken Sentence Predictability and Cognitive Load on Listening Effort.
Cynthia R Hunter
PMID 34674579WHAT IT FOUND
Predictable sentences free up mental resources, letting listeners recall digits faster and more accurately even in noise.
This suggests clinical benefit for using contextual cues to reduce listening effort, rather than relying solely on volume or clarity.
Key findings
01Participants recalled digits more quickly and accurately when the spoken sentence they were listening to was predictable.
02Word response times were slower when participants were under high cognitive load, indicating that mental effort impacts speech processing speed.
03Working memory capacity did not correlate with the benefit gained from sentence predictability in this group of young adults.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study used young adults with normal hearing, so findings may not generalize to older adults or those with hearing loss. Response time was an exploratory measure of listening effort and has not been independently validated for this purpose. The sample size (23 participants) may be underpowered to detect correlations between working memory and context benefits. The effect of predictability on digit recall accuracy was not robust when incorrect word trials were excluded, limiting conclusions about accuracy improvements.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The research was supported in part by a National Institutes of Health TL1 postdoctoral fellowship.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that predictable sentences improve the accuracy of remembering unrelated information in all contexts. The study found that the accuracy benefit for digit recall disappeared when only correct word responses were analyzed, suggesting the effect may be driven by error monitoring rather than genuine resource release for memory tasks.