Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42562026›Full record

ArticleTrends in hearing

Auditory Working Memory Mediates the Relationship Between Musical Sophistication and Speech-In-Noise Perception.

Hasan Colak, Ester Benzaquén, Xiaoxuan Guo, Meher Lad, William Sedley, Timothy D Griffiths

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Trends in hearing. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Hasan ColakBiosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3489-4842
Ester BenzaquénBiosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1760-8085
Xiaoxuan GuoBiosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
Meher LadTranslational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University.
William SedleyTranslational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University.
Timothy D GriffithsBiosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8066-4381

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Understanding speech in noisy environments (SPIN) is an important everyday ability, and engaging in musical activities has been proposed as a factor that may support this ability. However, the cognitive mechanisms underlying a potential musical advantage in SPIN perception remain unclear. Here we investigated whether musical sophistication is associated with better SPIN perception in a large population-based sample, and whether this relationship is mediated by auditory working memory (AWM), verbal working memory (VWM), or non-verbal intelligence. We recruited 203 participants and measured SPIN perception at both word and sentence levels. Musical sophistication was assessed using the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index (Gold-MSI). AWM was measured using delayed matching of tone frequency or the modulation rate of amplitude modulated white noise, VWM was based on backward digit span task, and non-verbal intelligence used matrix reasoning. Mediation analyses revealed that AWM fully mediated the relationship between musical sophistication and SPIN perception, whereas VWM showed no mediation effect. Non-verbal intelligence showed a partial mediating effect. Additional control analyses using structural equation modelling revealed that the indirect effect through AWM remained significant after accounting for age, hearing thresholds, and non-verbal intelligence. Together, these findings suggest that greater musical sophistication is associated with better daily-life listening abilities, and that AWM may be an important cognitive factor linking musical sophistication and SPIN perception.

Indexed as

Memory, Short-TermMusicNoisePerceptual MaskingSpeech PerceptionAcoustic StimulationAdolescentAdultAgedAuditory ThresholdCognitionFemaleHumansIntelligenceMaleMiddle Agedmusicalitymusical sophistication, musical perceptionmusicianspeech-in-noiseworking memory

Identifiers

PMID42562026
PMCPMC13451701

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.