Introduction: Speech perception in noisy environments involves bottom-up and top-down processing, with bottom-up integrating acoustic features and top-down involving higher cognitive skills like prediction and contextual thinking. Poor understanding may be due to decline in selective attention, and understanding how uncertainty and contextual limitations impact cognitive resources is crucial. Top-down training, in addition to devices enhancing signal to noise ratio, can also enhance speech perception in challenging listening situations.

Aim: The study aims to investigate if the training of selective attention leads to improvement in speech in noise perception in older adults with near normal hearing sensitivity. Further, to explore if training benefits are influenced by working memory and vocabulary in older adults with near normal hearing sensitivity.

Method: A quasi experimental study was conducted on 20 older adults with near-normal auditory sensitivity for improvement in speech in noise perception with & without selective attention training. The study included baseline, treatment/placebo, post-treatment, and follow-up assessments. Participants were assessed for speech perception in noise under different SNR conditions, Working memory and language proficiency & vocabulary level in baseline assessment. Experimental group underwent selective attention training using auditory & visual stroop tasks while the control group received placebo training for 6 days. Maintenance of training effects after one week was assessed during follow up assessment.

Results: The post-training results indicated that the experimental group showed significant improvement in SPIN scores at -2dB SNR with speech babble, indicating the effectiveness of selective attention training. However, the improvement in other SNR conditions was not statistically significant. The study also found that the benefits of the training were maintained one week after the intervention. Regression analysis revealed that pure tone average (PTA) and age were significant predictors of SPIN scores, particularly at challenging SNR levels.

Conclusion: Selective attention training using the auditory stroop task can significantly improve speech perception in noise, particularly in challenging conditions such as -2dB SNR with speech babble. These findings suggest that targeted cognitive training can enhance auditory processing in older adults, offering a potential intervention to improve communication in noisy environments. Further research is necessary to explore long-term benefits and the applicability of such interventions in real-world settings.