Hearing and Aging Research Laboratory

The Hearing and Aging Research (HEAR) Laboratory uses cognitive neuroscience tools (psychophysics, subcortical and cortical EEG, and machine learning) to study the brain mechanisms that support speech understanding, and how the brain mechanisms change when an individual ages, develops hearing loss or interacts with nonnative speakers. The long-term goal is to translate knowledge from this basic research into clinical strategies to optimize speech understanding for older people, people with hearing loss, and second language learners. Some of our research explores the negative effect of cochlear implants (CI) on older adults compared to younger CI users. We also explore how human listeners with and without CIs process foreign-accented speech and perceive emotion.