Verbal Learning and Memory After Cochlear Implantation in Postlingually Deaf Adults: Some New Findings with the CVLT-II.
David B Pisoni, Arthur Broadstock, Taylor Wucinich and 11 others
PMID 29271831WHAT IT FOUND
Postlingually deaf cochlear implant adults matched normal-hearing peers on most visual word-list learning, but recalled fewer words from the new interference list and showed weaker recent-item memory.
These cognitive measures related to speech recognition, but the links were exploratory.
Key findings
01In normal-hearing young and older adults, visual and auditory CVLT-II presentation did not differ on immediate free recall across the five learning trials.
02Compared with matched older normal-hearing controls, experienced cochlear implant users recalled fewer words from List B and showed weaker recency recall across List A trials.
03In experienced cochlear implant users, Ravens non-verbal reasoning scores and CVLT-II List B recall scores were correlated with speech recognition outcomes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The experienced cochlear implant sample was small, with 25 participants, so the regression models were exploratory and need replication in a larger sample. The authors did not correct for multiple statistical tests, so the correlational findings should be treated cautiously. Some group differences, such as recency and proactive interference effects, were not predicted beforehand, and related cognitive measures were not collected. The study focused on group differences and did not analyse individual patients or outliers in detail. The visual version was validated in normal-hearing adults, not directly against the auditory version in cochlear implant users. The cochlear implant users were experienced, had used implants for at least 2 years, and were adults with postlingual hearing loss, so findings may not apply to new users or children.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The article is listed as supported by Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural and Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the visual CVLT-II can predict cochlear implant speech recognition outcomes in an individual patient. The regression analyses were exploratory, used a small sample, and were not corrected for multiple statistical tests.