Auditory short-term memory evaluation in noise in musicians

Abstract

Background: Working memory, a short-term memory component, is a multi-component system that manages attention and short-term memory in speech perception in challenging listening conditions. These challenging conditions cause listening effort that can be objectively evaluated by pupillometry. Studies show that auditory working memory is more developed in musicians for complex auditory tasks. Purpose: This study aims to compare the listening effort and short-term memory in noise between musicians and non-musicians. Research design: An experimental research design was adopted for the study. Study sample: The study was conducted on twenty-two musicians and twenty non-musicians between the ages of 20-45. Data collection and analysis: Participants' effort analysis was measured with pupillometry; performance analysis was measured with STMS by listening to the 15-word lists of VMPT. Participants are tested under three conditions: quiet, +15 SNR, and +5 SNR. Results: While non-musicians showed significantly higher STPP than musicians in the quiet condition, musicians' STPP were significantly higher in both noise conditions (+15 SNR and +5 SNR). The non-musicians' percentage of pupil growth averages were higher than the musicians for three conditions. Conclusion: As a result, musicians had better memory performance in noise and less effort in the listening task according to lower pupil growth. This study objectively evaluated the differences between participants' listening efforts by pupillometry. It is also observed that the signal-to-noise ratio and music training affect memory performance.