Perception of emotion in music in adults with cochlear implants

Music is an integral aspect of culture that is uniquely tied to our emotions. Previous studies have shown that hearing loss and cochlear implantation have deleterious effects on music and emotion perception, particularly cues related to pitch, melody, and mode. The purpose of this study is to examine acoustic cues that adults with cochlear implants and adults with normal hearing might use to perceive emotion in music (e.g., tempo and pitch range). One adult (ages 18-50 years) with a cochlear implant and 15 adults who have normal hearing were tested. The participants listened to a series of 40 melodies which varied along tempo and pitch range. Ten melodies conveyed sadness (small pitch range; slow tempo) and 10 conveyed happiness (large pitch range; fast tempo). The remaining 20 presented conflicting cues (small pitch range + fast tempo or large pitch range + slow tempo). We asked participants to rate the emotion of the musical excerpt on a 7-point Likert scale along three dimensions: happy-sad, pleasant-unpleasant, and engaged-unengaged. Results showed that adults with NH and CIs relied on tempo more than pitch range when perceiving emotion in music, but in two instances adults with NH took pitch range into account when rating. The results from this study will help shed light on how effectively cochlear implants convey musical emotions, and could eventually lead to improvements in music perception in listeners with hearing loss

Effects of Hearing Loss and Cerumen Impaction on Music Listening Behaviors and Speech-Language Measures: A Music First! Pilot Study

Previous research suggests that music may be a key tool in helping individuals with dementia reconnect with the world. However, individuals with dementia must have access to music (i.e., typical hearing) to be able to benefit from music listening. The purpose of our study is to determine the effects of hearing level and cerumen impaction on music listening and speech and language outcomes in nursing home residents who have dementia. We will ask 60 residents to undergo an otoscopic evaluation and a modified hearing screening procedure. All residents will receive 30 minutes of their preferred music each week, and sundowning symptoms prior to and following the music listening will be recorded. We will also measure speech-language outcomes in a subset of the residents. Preliminary data show that several residents with dementia in nursing homes have hearing loss below normal levels for this age group that can be restored with amplification, or hearing loss that cannot be restored with amplification. Moreover, some residents have a higher (worse) hearing threshold than they should because of cerumen (ear wax) impaction. Other residents have moderate to severe hearing loss but do not consistently use amplification device(s). Non-compliance with amplification or untreated cerumen impaction will likely impact residents’ behavior on speech, language, music listening, and sundowning measures. Preliminary results also indicate that there is a relationship between an individual’s hearing level and their ability to produce a verbal response. These findings will contribute to future interventions for individuals with dementia and hearing impairment