Cognitive Effort in Noise
Federica Natalizi
University of Padua
Hearing is a process which does not require any particular efforts. Despite this, in situations where the hearing signal is degraded because of a noise environment or hearing impairment, the listening effort and the use of top-down cognitive processes, such as Working Memory, increases. Based on the literature examined, which indicates the presence of psychological and physical symptoms after prolonged listening, the aim of this study is to evaluate the listening effort in children with cochlear implants by using pupillometry. The pupil indeed is an indicator of the neural effort required to perform cognitive tasks and it reflects not only variations in brightness but also in arousal. The results indicate a positive cognitive performance in children with cochlear implant, but at the same time, a greater pupil dilation, indicative of a more experienced listening/cognitive effort than normal hearing children of the same chronological age. By highlighting the importance of reducing the noise in the school environment, the present study invites to promote the cognitive training on the skills considered important for a proper learning.
Bio
Federica Natalizi is an Erasmus student at the University of Valencia, where she studies reading processes in students with Special Needs. She has collaborated with Professor Alessandro Martini, Director of the School of Otorhinolaryngologist Specialization, and Professor Barba Arfé in the project “Cognitive Effort in Noise” which investigates the cognitive processes in children with cochlear implant. Graduated in Neuroscience and Neuropsychological Rehabilitation at the University of Padua, she is interested in the biological bases of cognitive/affective processes and their alterations following developmental pathologies, degenerative or acquired in adulthood. She possesses knowledge about the different physiological measures such as EEG, fMRI and Pupillometry and the underlying neurobiological bases of functional plasticity, important to promote a functional recovery.
