Western prof collaborates with industry for hearing care innovation 

Ingrid Johnsrude, a cognitive psychologist, researches the interplay between hearing loss, speech comprehension and cognitive abilities. (Kim McCready photo) Most have experienced it - struggling to hear a conversation in a noisy restaurant or deciphering a TV dialogue while the dishwasher roars in the background. And, as a person ages, these difficulties only increase. Ingrid Johnsrude , a professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders and a cognitive psychologist, researches the interplay between hearing loss, speech comprehension and cognitive abilities, seeking ways to improve overall communication, especially for older adults. "While attempting to understand a person speaking in a quiet room, a clear speech signal is fine, but the real world is more complex," Johnsrude said. "In busy environments with background noise and competing voices, the spoken word alone often provides insufficient information to be understood by itself." As people grow older, hearing deteriorates and sounds become "blurry,- similar to the way vision may change. But unlike glasses for the eyes, there's no equivalent for the ears to clarify or focus the sounds.