title: Child-Adult Differences in Using Dual-Task Paradigms to Measure Listening Effort.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the project was to investigate the effects modifying the secondary task in a dual-task paradigm to measure objective listening effort. To be specific, the complexity and depth of processing were increased relative to a simple secondary task.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three dual-task paradigms were developed for school-age children. The primary task was word recognition. The secondary task was a physical response to a visual probe (simple task), a physical response to a complex probe (increased complexity), or word categorization (increased depth of processing). Sixteen adults (22-32 years, M = 25.4) and 22 children (9-17 years, M = 13.2) were tested using the 3 paradigms in quiet and noise.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For both groups, manipulations of the secondary task did not affect word recognition performance. For adults, increasing depth of processing increased the calculated effect of noise; however, for children, results with the deep secondary task were the least stable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Manipulations of the secondary task differentially affected adults and children. Consistent with previous findings, increased depth of processing enhanced paradigm sensitivity for adults. However, younger participants were more likely to demonstrate the expected effects of noise on listening effort using a secondary task that did not require deep processing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN.
authors.forename: Erin M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Picou
authors.affiliation: Department of Allied Health Sciences Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
authors.forename: Lauren M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Charles
authors.affiliation: Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville TN.
authors.forename: Todd A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Ricketts
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time; D012016:Reference Values; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio; D013017:Sound Localization / Q000502:physiology; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult