Our study has concluded and we are no longer accepting applications. Sign up below to receive notification for our upcoming Auditory Training Program currently in development. Stay tuned for future developments and stay in love with the music <3
Can music training help
people with cochlear implants?
We are looking for participants.
When a person has profound hearing loss or deafness, they can receive a prosthetic hearing device called a Cochlear Implant. The device is surgically implanted into a person’s inner ear and stimulates the auditory nerve directly giving them access to speech and ambient sounds. This is sometimes referred to as electric hearing, and has been quite successful.
However, receiving a cochlear implant comes with its challenges as the brain has to adapt to a new modality of auditory stimulation. It is widely acknowledged that outcomes for patients could improve with some form of auditory training, but there are few options for the people who are motivated to do so. Music training has been shown to provide benefits to a person’s cognitive processes including memory, and auditory perception.
Our aim is to develop and investigate the effects of a music based auditory training for people with cochlear implants. Music based auditory training may also help with improving speech perception in complex listening environments, and improve the quality of music listening for people with cochlear implants.
Free Music Based Auditory Training
Participants will take part in 3 interactive music-based auditory training sessions, 45 minutes each, which can be done remotely or on campus.
The training sessions will include learning about music and tonality as it relates to hearing with a cochlear implant.
Music training can also provide cochlear implant patients with additional resources for robust stimulation of the auditory nerve.
Participants will take part in active listening exercises based on their abilities and preferences which will be assessed in the first meeting.
Auditory training designed to employ the auditory pathway may help to improve the processing of auditory information and promote mechanisms of adaptive plasticity in the brain.
Time Commitment & Compensation
The first meeting will be used to review the consent form and the questionnaires. We will also discuss the auditory training sessions and your availability. This will take about an hour.
Participants will then meet for 3 music based training sessions over Zoom or on campus, 45 minutes each, with a break included.
Time commitment is about 4 hours and will vary based on the availability of the participant, but should be completed in about 2-3 weeks.
After the 3 auditory training sessions are completed, participants will be asked to fill out an anonymous questionnaire.
Compensation will then be sent electronically or by mail.
Inclusion
criteria
English speaking postlingual adults over the age of 18 with a cochlear implant(s).
Access to the internet and Zoom app.
Exclusion
criteria
No individuals under 18 years old.
No prior history of diagnosis of cognitive neurological disorder.
