The Relationship Between Home Sound Environment, Sustained Attention Skills, and Auditory Cortex Maturation in Infants
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between household noise and development of early cognitive skills, as well as auditory cortex development – both of which are critical for early language development. Noise exposure affects important processes for cognition (e.g., sustained attention) and general learning. Evidence suggests that exposure to noise may disrupt the emergence of sound representations in the brain, which are needed to process auditory information (especially spoken language). The current project posed two interrelated questions: (i) What is the effect of noise exposure on real time measures of cognitive performance during infancy? and (ii) What is the effect of noise exposure on real time measures of auditory cortex function during infancy? Data were collected as part of a larger study. The current project combined naturalistic, behavioral, and neural measures. Seventeen infants completed a cognitive task, a cortical task, and an at-home sound environment measure at 8-10 months of age, in addition to caregiver reports regarding auditory development and noise exposure. Nine infants participated in the same study procedures at 17-19 months of age. Findings suggest that noise exposure and auditory development may impact performance during the cognitive task, and provide avenues for future research. Improving our understanding of the impact of noise on infant cognitive and cortical development may inform interventions within the household, childcare settings, and in public policy. This work may have implications for parental and childcare interventions, cognitive and cortical developmental research, and the understanding of noise exposure impact.