PP1014 - Evaluating Time of Day Effects on Auditory Attention, Reaction Time, and Speech Recognition in Noise in Adults

Abstract:
This study evaluated time of day impacts on auditory attention, reaction time, speech understanding in noise and if auditory attention impacts speech comprehension. Seventeen adults completed two sessions (morning and afternoon), questionnaires, and modified versions of the Auditory Continuous Performance Task (ACPT) and the National Acoustic Laboratories Dynamic Conversation Test (NAL-DCT). Significant differences were found in NAL-DCT performance between morning and afternoon sessions. Regression analysis revealed that reaction time variability on the ACPT and hours of sleep were significant predictors of NAL-DCT performance in the afternoon. Therefore, tasks requiring multiple cognitive abilities may be affected based on time of day.

Summary:
Researchers have proposed that cognitive function can vary based on the time of day, specifically those related to executive function, such as inhibiting inappropriate responses (Lara et al., 2014), immediate and delayed recall, and working memory (Bennett et al., 2008). Further, research has shown that one’s ability to perceive speech in adverse listening conditions is dependent on cognitive abilities (Vermeire et al., 2019). This study examined time of day effects on auditory attention, reaction time, and speech recognition in noise. Further, the impact auditory attention has on the ability to comprehend speech in background noise.

This study included 17 adults, 18-35 years old, with hearing within normal limits, no history of middle ear pathologies, cognitive, linguistic or developmental disorders, no chronic fatigue, and no prior diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD). Participants completed a morning and afternoon session. During the first session, participants completed a questionnaire modified from “A self-assessment questionnaire to determine morningness-eveningness in human circadian rhythm” (Home & Ostberg, 1976). During both sessions, participants also completed a questionnaire about hours of sleep the night prior to testing and caffeine intake. The stimuli administered were the Auditory Continuous Performance Test (ACPT) and the National Acoustic Laboratories Dynamic Conversations Test (NAL-DCT). For the ACPT, participants were instructed to click a button every time they heard the target word “dog” and to not respond for all other words. The abbreviated NAL-DCT included six individual test passages with 10 questions each. Three different passages were presented during each session.

Significant differences were found on a Paired Samples t-test for the NAL-DCT scores in the morning versus afternoon (t=2.184, df=16, p=.044). A stepwise linear regression analysis showed that standard deviation of reaction time on the ACPT in the afternoon and hours of sleep the night before testing were significant predictors of performance on the NAL-DCT in the afternoon. Two significant models were obtained. Regression Model 1 included ACPT standard deviation and was significant with F (1,15) = 10.371, p = .006. Model 2 added hours of sleep and remained significant at F (2,14) = 10.782, p = .001. Model 1 explained 37% of the variance and Model 2 improved the accuracy by 18%, which increases the overall accuracy of the prediction to 55%.

This study examined time of day effects on maintaining auditory attention, reaction time, and understanding speech in noise. Further, if auditory attention can impact one’s ability to understand speech in noise. Performance on the NAL-DCT waned in the afternoon compared to the morning. Variability in reaction time on the ACPT and the amount of sleep the night prior to testing were significant predictors of performance on the NAL-DCT in the afternoon. While not all adults had variability of reaction time, adults with more variability in reaction time performed worse when listening to speech in noise. This suggests that adults who have more difficulty maintaining an appropriate response time may have more difficulty understanding speech in noise at later hours of the day.