The use of lip-reading: useful, but perceived differently with age.

What is it about?

This study explored how aware people are of the benefits of lip-reading when listening in noise, and whether this awareness changes with age. Awareness matters because it influences whether people actually use helpful strategies in daily life. Young and older adults with normal hearing completed a virtual-reality listening task where lip visibility varied. By comparing conditions with low vs. high lip visibility, we examined whether participants recognized improvements from lip-reading in performance, confidence, and effort. Both groups benefited equally from lip-reading and were aware of its usefulness. However, older adults perceived less reduction in effort, especially those with lower lip-reading skills. This suggests that, even when effective, strategies like lip-reading may feel less rewarding with age. Subbtle differences in perceived effort reduction might impact an older adult's motivation to consistently use lip reading in daily life, even if the benefit is present.

Why is it important?

In summary, despite strategic awareness is preserved with age, factors related to individual skills and the cognitive load required to implement a listening strategy contribute to modulating the perceived cost-benefit ratio. Even seemingly effortless strategies like lip-reading come with a cognitive cost, felt as increased effort. For older adults, limited resources and a drive for cognitive economy may discourage strategy use when effort feels too high compared to benefit. This could have direct consequences for the adoption of strategies in daily life. Furthermore, this result is relevant for those who work with older people or develop listening support interventions, where it becomes crucial to manage perceived effort and improve the balance between costs and benefits, so as to maximize the effectiveness of the interventions.