How listening in noisy environments affects sentence understanding in school-age children
Official title: Association between Speech Perception in Noise and Sentence Comprehension in School-age children
Funded at Utah State University · NIH-11053498 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how well kids aged 7 to 11 can understand speech when there's background noise and how things like attention and memory play a role in that, especially for those who might struggle with hearing or processing sounds.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Utah State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Logan, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $182,500 |
| NIH project number | 5R21DC021783-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11053498 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are school-age children between 7 to 11 years old who experience challenges in understanding speech in noisy settings.
✕Less likely to help
Children who do not exhibit any listening difficulties or have significant hearing impairments may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates the relationship between children's ability to understand speech in noisy environments and their overall sentence comprehension. By integrating auditory processing, cognitive, and linguistic factors, the study aims to understand how these elements interact and affect listening skills in children aged 7 to 11. The researchers will assess 130 children, focusing on how attention, lexical knowledge, and working memory influence their ability to comprehend sentences amidst background noise. This approach seeks to provide insights into the challenges faced by children with auditory processing disorders and related difficulties.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved strategies for helping children with listening difficulties, enhancing their language comprehension and academic performance.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has indicated that understanding the interplay between auditory processing and cognitive factors can lead to significant advancements in addressing listening difficulties in children.
Where this research is happening
-
Utah State University
Logan, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nagaraj, Naveen K — Utah State University
- Study coordinator: Nagaraj, Naveen K
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.