Is Recognition of Speech in Noise Related to Memory Disruption Caused by Irrelevant Sound?

Listeners with normal audiometric thresholds show substantial variability in their ability to understand speech in noise (SiN). These individual differences have been reported to be associated with a range of auditory and cognitive abilities. The present study addresses the association between SiN processing and the individual susceptibility of short-term memory to auditory distraction (i.

Determinants of the irrelevant speech effect: Changes in spectrum and envelope.

The irrelevant sound effect (ISE) denotes the fact that short-term memory is disrupted while being exposed to sound. The ISE is largest for speech. The presented study investigated the underlying acoustic properties that cause the ISE.