Pupillometry Reflects Listening Effort as a Function of Talker in the AzBio Sentences

Pupillometry, or the quantification of pupil size, reflects a variety of processes involved in listening effort and is sensitive to many cognitive demands even when word recognition abilities are high. However, it is uncommon for studies to use clinical tests to examine listening effort, which increases barriers for audiologists seeking to apply this information to their clinical practice....

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Pupillometry shows promise as an objective measure of listening effort sensitive to talker differences, but the method is not yet ready for routine clinical use; no immediate practice change is warranted.

Objective measurement of listening effort could eventually supplement speech-recognition scores and improve hearing aid fitting and counseling decisions.

1. 01Pupil dilation was used as an objective index of listening effort during AzBio sentence testing.
2. 02Results suggest pupillometry is sensitive to differences between talkers in a standard speech-perception test.
3. 03Findings highlight that talker variability is a meaningful cognitive dimension often overlooked in routine audiological assessment.
4. 04The study contributes to the growing evidence base for physiological measures of listening effort.
5. 05Clinical adoption of pupillometry requires further standardization and normative data.

PMID

42763600

DOI

10.3766/jaaa.250026.

Journal

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

2b

Population

Listeners completing AzBio sentence recognition tasks; specific demographics not stated in abstract

Intervention

Pupillometry measurement during AzBio sentence perception across multiple talkers

Comparator

Comparison across different talkers within the same test paradigm