A Consumer ’ s Guide to Cognition , Audition & Amplification

A Consumer’s Guide to Cognition, Audition & Amplification will address how cognition (top-down processing) and audition (bottom-up sensory-based processing) each contribute to our overall ability to hear and listen. Indeed, when everything goes right, cognition and audition facilitate an accurate and meaningful acoustic representation of the world. However, sensory-based systems (i.e., audition) tend to lose sensitivity and accuracy over time. Likewise, cognitive systems tend to slow down with respect to processing speed and they may falter or fail due to a number of dementias (of which Alzheimer’s disease is the most significant) and other changes such as physical health and psychological changes that impact working memory and our ability to pay attention. However, modern technology in hearing aids is working to capture and deliver sounds which are more compatible with what our brains need. That is, advanced hearing aids go way beyond simply making sound louder – they make it easier to listen and to make sense of the auditory world in quiet, in noise and while listening to televisions, cell phones and more in seamless and efficient ways.