Marcrum Steven C, Rakita Lori, Picou Erin M
Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
Meta Platforms, Inc., Menlo Park, California, USA.
Ear Hear. 2025;46(1):34-43. doi: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000001561. Epub 2024 Aug 12.
Adults with permanent hearing loss exhibit a reduced range of valence ratings in response to nonspeech sounds; however, the degree to which sound genre might affect such ratings is unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine if ratings of valence covary with sound genre (e.g., social communication, technology, music), or only expected valence (pleasant, neutral, unpleasant).
As part of larger study protocols, participants rated valence and arousal in response to nonspeech sounds. For this study, data were reanalyzed by assigning sounds to unidimensional genres and evaluating relationships between hearing loss, age, and gender and ratings of valence. In total, results from 120 adults with normal hearing (M = 46.3 years, SD = 17.7, 33 males and 87 females) and 74 adults with hearing loss (M = 66.1 years, SD = 6.1, 46 males and 28 females) were included.
Principal component analysis confirmed valence ratings loaded onto eight unidimensional factors: positive and negative social communication, positive and negative technology, music, animal, activities, and human body noises. Regression analysis revealed listeners with hearing loss rated some genres as less extreme (less pleasant/less unpleasant) than peers with better hearing, with the relationship between hearing loss and valence ratings being similar across genres within an expected valence category. In terms of demographic factors, female gender was associated with less pleasant ratings of negative social communication, positive and negative technology, activities, and human body noises, while increasing age was related to a subtle rise in valence ratings across all genres.
Taken together, these results confirm and extend previous findings that hearing loss is related to a reduced range of valence ratings and suggest that this effect is mediated by expected sound valence, rather than sound genre.
患有永久性听力损失的成年人对非语音声音的效价评级范围缩小；然而，声音类型对这种评级的影响程度尚不清楚。本研究的目的是确定效价评级是否与声音类型（如社交沟通、科技、音乐）共变，还是仅与预期效价（愉悦、中性、不悦）共变。
作为更大规模研究方案的一部分，参与者对非语音声音的效价和唤醒程度进行评级。在本研究中，通过将声音分配到单维类型并评估听力损失、年龄、性别与效价评级之间的关系，对数据进行了重新分析。总共纳入了120名听力正常的成年人（平均年龄M = 46.3岁，标准差SD = 17.7，男性33名，女性87名）和74名听力损失的成年人（平均年龄M = 66.1岁，标准差SD = 6.1，男性46名，女性28名）的结果。
主成分分析证实，效价评级加载到八个单维因素上：积极和消极的社交沟通、积极和消极的科技、音乐、动物、活动以及人体噪音。回归分析显示，听力损失的听众对某些类型声音的评级比听力较好的同龄人更不极端（不那么愉悦/不那么不悦），在预期效价类别中，听力损失与效价评级之间的关系在各类型声音中相似。在人口统计学因素方面，女性对消极社交沟通、积极和消极科技、活动以及人体噪音的愉悦评级较低，而年龄增长与所有类型声音的效价评级略有上升有关。
综上所述，这些结果证实并扩展了先前的研究发现，即听力损失与效价评级范围缩小有关，并表明这种影响是由预期声音效价介导的，而非声音类型。
