Expectations and practice
Reviewed by Jennifer K Stott

Reading this paper is reassuring. It does not appear to be groundbreaking in its results but research can be as useful, if not more so, when it consolidates knowledge and helps unify the research base. This paper focuses on those aged six to eight years, from a clinical perspective – a common age parents can have questions regarding their children’s hearing ability. The results show that stronger neural encoding and better use of acoustic cues improve speech-in-noise perception, thereby reducing reliance on working memory. It concludes that further research into targeted interventions aimed at improving cognitive functions – and thereby enhancing speech-in-noise perception – would be helpful.

Neural and perceptual speech in noise processing among 6–8-year-old children: Relation to working memory.
Khalaila-Zbidat A, Karawani H.
Hear Res
2025;465:109345.