Barb Shinn-Cunningham presents the 2022 Distinguished M.D. Steer Lecture in SLHS
| Author: | M. Heinz |
|---|---|
| Event Date: | November 7, 2022 |
Thank you to everyone who attended this year's M. D. Steer Distinguished Lecture Series in SLHS this afternoon with guest lecturer Dr. Barbara Shinn-Cunningham. We had a great turnout and thoroughly enjoyed her talk "Why does hearing loss sabotage communication in lively social settings?" Thank you Dr. Shinn-Cunningham for a wonderful lecture this year!
2022 M. D. Steer Lecture in SLHS
Title: Why does hearing loss sabotage communication in lively social settings?
Speaker: Barbara Shinn-Cunningham, PhD, Cowan Professor of Auditory Neuroscience and Director of the Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University
Abstract: Communicating in a social setting relies upon the ability to focus on an important sound amidst competing sounds. In healthy, normal-hearing listeners, complex negotiations between volitional, top-down attention and involuntary, bottom-up attention allow listeners to focus on and understand whatever talker matters in a given moment. Yet, even a modest hearing impairment can hamstring a listener faced with such a task. This talk explores why sensory deficits can cripple everyday communication, especially when a listener is trying to follow a conversation in a social setting.
Link to Seminar