title: Indices of Effortful Listening Can Be Mined from Existing Electroencephalographic Data.
abstract: Studies suggest that theta (~4 to 7 Hz), alpha (~8 to 12 Hz), and stimulus-evoked dynamics of the electroencephalogram index effortful listening. Numerous auditory event-related potential datasets exist, without thorough examination of these features. The feasibility of mining those datasets for such features is assessed here.
  
  
  
  In a standard auditory-oddball paradigm, 12 listeners heard deviant high-frequency tones (10%) interspersed among low-frequency tones (90%) "near" or "far" separated in frequency.
  
  
  
  During active listening (deviance detection; experiment 1), sustained frontal midline theta power, and gamma-band inter-trial phase coherence, were greater for the near condition. No significant "near"/"far" differences were observable during passive exposure to the same sounds (experiment 2).
  
  
  
  Increased theta power likely reflects increased utilization of cognitive-control processes (e.g., working memory) that rely on frontal cortical networks. Inter-trial phase coherence differences may reflect differences in attention-modulated stimulus encoding. Reanalysis of existing datasets can usefully inform future work on listening effort.
authors.forename: Matthew G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Wisniewski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000513:Alpha Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D057225:Data Mining; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D013826:Theta Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult