{"title":"Limited learning and adaptation in disfluency processing among older adults.","authors":"Diyu Luo, Kristi Hendrickson, Si On Yoon","doi":"10.1037/pag0000887","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Listeners adapt to diverse cues in real-time language processing. While younger adults can learn and adapt in complex multitalker settings, it remains uncertain whether this ability persists in older adults, especially when they must accumulate auditory inputs to learn novel statistics. We examined whether older adults adapt to talker-specific patterns using paralinguistic cues such as disfluency. In two experiments, older adults listened to instructions from two talkers: one used disfluency predictively (e.g., always referring to novel objects following disfluency) and the other used disfluency unpredictably (e.g., referring to either familiar or novel objects following disfluency). Experiment 1 examined a single-talker setting (<i>N</i> = 50, between-subjects), and Experiment 2 examined a multitalker setting (<i>N</i> = 50, within-subjects). Participants' eye movements were compared between the predictive and nonpredictive conditions. In Experiment 1, older adults demonstrated partner-specific adaptation by looking at novel images more in the predictive condition than in the nonpredictive condition. However, this partner-specific adaptation was not observed in Experiment 2. The results suggest that while older adults can adapt to simpler single-talker settings, their ability to learn and apply novel statistics specific to each talker diminishes in more complex multitalker settings. This limitation may stem from slower processing speed and decreased cognitive flexibility, which may lead older adults to rely on global statistics rather than partner-specific ones. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48426,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Aging","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Psychology and Aging","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000887","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"GERONTOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Listeners adapt to diverse cues in real-time language processing. While younger adults can learn and adapt in complex multitalker settings, it remains uncertain whether this ability persists in older adults, especially when they must accumulate auditory inputs to learn novel statistics. We examined whether older adults adapt to talker-specific patterns using paralinguistic cues such as disfluency. In two experiments, older adults listened to instructions from two talkers: one used disfluency predictively (e.g., always referring to novel objects following disfluency) and the other used disfluency unpredictably (e.g., referring to either familiar or novel objects following disfluency). Experiment 1 examined a single-talker setting (N = 50, between-subjects), and Experiment 2 examined a multitalker setting (N = 50, within-subjects). Participants' eye movements were compared between the predictive and nonpredictive conditions. In Experiment 1, older adults demonstrated partner-specific adaptation by looking at novel images more in the predictive condition than in the nonpredictive condition. However, this partner-specific adaptation was not observed in Experiment 2. The results suggest that while older adults can adapt to simpler single-talker settings, their ability to learn and apply novel statistics specific to each talker diminishes in more complex multitalker settings. This limitation may stem from slower processing speed and decreased cognitive flexibility, which may lead older adults to rely on global statistics rather than partner-specific ones. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
期刊介绍:
Psychology and Aging publishes original articles on adult development and aging. Such original articles include reports of research that may be applied, biobehavioral, clinical, educational, experimental (laboratory, field, or naturalistic studies), methodological, or psychosocial. Although the emphasis is on original research investigations, occasional theoretical analyses of research issues, practical clinical problems, or policy may appear, as well as critical reviews of a content area in adult development and aging. Clinical case studies that have theoretical significance are also appropriate. Brief reports are acceptable with the author"s agreement not to submit a full report to another journal.