Reference Data for a Quick Speech-in-Noise Hearing Test in the French Language.

Introduction: Difficulty in understanding speech in noise is the most common complaint of people with hearing impairment. Thus, there is a need for tests of speech-in-noise ability in clinical settings, which have to be evaluated for each language. Here, a reference dataset is presented for a quick speech-in-noise test in the French language (Vocale Rapide dans le Bruit, VRB; Leclercq, Renard, & Vincent, 2018).

Sleep deprivation detected by voice analysis.

Sleep deprivation has an ever-increasing impact on individuals and societies. Yet, to date, there is no quick and objective test for sleep deprivation. Here, we used automated acoustic analyses of the voice to detect sleep deprivation.

Controlling audibility with noise for online experiments using sound.

Online auditory experiments use the sound delivery equipment of each participant, with no practical way to calibrate sound level or frequency response. Here, a method is proposed to control sensation level across frequencies: embedding stimuli in threshold-equalizing noise. In a cohort of 100 online participants, noise could equate detection thresholds from 125 to 4000 Hz.

Retrospective cueing mediates flexible conscious access to past spoken words.

Can we become aware of auditory stimuli retrospectively, even if they initially failed to reach awareness? Here, we tested whether spatial cueing of attention a word had been played could trigger retrospective conscious access. Two sound streams were presented dichotically. One stream was attended for a primary task of speeded semantic categorization.

Music cognition: Can you carry over that tune?

Almost universally, music uses scales consisting of a small number of notes. Could this increase the fitness of melodies for oral transmission? By reproducing the process online, a new study reveals how cognition, sound and culture may interact to shape music.