Comparing the Effects of Music vs. Non-Music Based Interventions on Auditory and Cognitive Processing in Older Adults
Northeastern University
Summary
The proposed study will enroll healthy older adult participants to examine the effectiveness of music listening activities to promote hearing and cognition. Participants will be randomized into one of four experimental groups and can expect to participate for up to 21 hours of research distributed over 20 weeks.
Eligibility
- Age range
- 60–101 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * Age: 60+ * No self-reported auditory difficulties and normal or near-normal hearing sensitivity as measured by SRTs. * Should have no more than typical hearing loss for their age and no evidence of dementia. * Fluent in English and/or Spanish * No more than two years of formal music training in childhood OR in the past 20 years Exclusion Criteria: * Abnormal vision or hearing prohibitive of training * History of seizures, focal brain lesion, or head injury with loss of consciousness * Physical handicap (motor or perceptual) that would impede training procedures * Socia…
Interventions
- BehavioralMusic Listening with Attentional prompts
Participants will listen to musical excerpts, and guided instructions will be provided to tell the participants what aspect of the music to pay attention to and how to respond. Participants will log responses on an interactive tablet-based interface.
- BehavioralMusic Listening
Participants will listen to musical excerpts and will be provided with guided instructions directing their attention to specific aspects of the music. Participants will report when they perceive a noticeable change in the music (e.g., changes in instrumentation, rhythm, texture, or intensity). Participants will log responses on an interactive tablet-based interface.
- BehavioralTone listening with Attentional prompts
Participants will be asked to attend to auditory stimuli and respond to them according to guided instructions. Participants will log responses on an interactive tablet-based interface.
Location
- Northeastern UniversityBoston, Massachusetts