Generally, in lab-based listening tests, the participant performs the task alone. This traditional set-up does not account for more natural aspects of a real-life listening scenario, namely, the presence of other people. Our aim was to investigate the impact of social observation on listening. To achieve this, we tested 29 hearing-impaired participants alone and whilst observed by two other hearing-impaired individuals. We examined the effort the participant used during listening by measuring responses from their pupils and cardiovascular system. The results of this study will show if being watched by two peers motivated people with hearing loss to invest more effort during listening compared to when they were alone. We will also compare the responses from the pupils and cardiovascular system. This is an important step in helping understand the cognitive processes involved in real-life listening scenarios.
“The combination study was a great opportunity to combine our ideas, expertise and resources. We had some challenges with the equipment and data quality during our early data collection, but otherwise everything went smoothly! I enjoyed working with Hidde and felt the study was a success!”
Bethany Plain
“I experienced the collaboration with Beth as very smooth and enjoyable. The obstacles we encountered during the experiment proved to be great learning opportunities. We gathered some very interesting data that will tell us a lot about listening (effort) in a more ecologically valid social context.”
Hidde Pielage
Study set-up. The participant is seated in the middle chair, being observed by two observers behind the table.
