Administration Method of Cognitive Screening in Older Individuals With Hearing Loss

The Impact of Test Administration Method on Cognitive Screening Results in Older Individuals With Hearing Loss

The objectives of the current project aim to determine whether a more controlled amplification method or a visual administration has an effect on hearing impaired older individuals' cognitive test scores.

Aim 1 is to create a visually administered condition of a cognitive test and to validate this condition in comparison to the auditory administration. Data will be collected from younger individuals with normal hearing. Each younger individual is tested using both visual and auditory condition and the scores are compared across the two conditions. It is anticipated that the scores will not be significantly different between the two conditions.

Aim 2 is to examine the test condition effect on cognitive testing results in older individuals with hearing loss. The three test conditions include auditory unamplified, auditory amplified, and visual. Each older individual will be tested using two different test conditions. It is predicted the auditory amplified and visual administrations will alleviate the cognitive load associated with hearing difficulty and lead to improved performance on the test.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Have sensorineural hearing loss
• Have normal or corrected-to-normal vision

Exclusion Criteria:

• Have conductive hearing loss;
• Have history of otologic or neurologic disorders
• Have dementia
• Non-native speakers of English