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Auditory Working Memory Mediates the Relationship Between Musical Sophistication and Speech-In-Noise Perception

Lookup NU author(s): Ester Benzaquén Vallejos, Xiaoxuan Guo, Dr Meher Lad, Dr Will Sedley, Professor Tim GriffithsORCiD

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Abstract

Understanding speech in noisy environments (SPIN) is an important everyday ability, and engaging in musical activities has been proposed as a factor that may support this ability. However, the cognitive mechanisms underlying a potential musical advantage in SPIN perception remain unclear. Here we investigated whether musical sophistication is associated with better SPIN perception in a large population-based sample, and whether this relationship is mediated by auditory working memory (AWM), verbal working memory (VWM), or non-verbal intelligence. We recruited 203 participants and measured SPIN perception at both word and sentence levels. Musical sophistication was assessed using the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index (Gold-MSI). AWM was measured using delayed matching of tone frequency or the modulation rate of amplitude modulated white noise, VWM was based on backward digit span task, and non-verbal intelligence used matrix reasoning. Mediation analyses revealed that AWM fully mediated the relationship between musical sophistication and SPIN perception, whereas VWM showed no mediation effect. Non-verbal intelligence showed a partial mediating effect. Additional control analyses using structural equation modelling revealed that the indirect effect through AWM remained significant after accounting for age, hearing thresholds, and non-verbal intelligence. Together, these findings suggest that greater musical sophistication is associated with better daily-life listening abilities, and that AWM may be an important cognitive factor linking musical sophistication and SPIN perception.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Colak H, Benzaquen E, Guo X, Lad M, Sedley W, Griffiths TD

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Trends in Hearing

Year: 2026

Volume: 30

Pages: 1-15

Online publication date: 06/08/2026

Acceptance date: 26/07/2026

Date deposited: 17/08/2026

ISSN (electronic): 2331-2165

Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd

URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/23312165261476429

DOI: 10.1177/23312165261476429

Data Access Statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from https://osf.io/pgebv/overview?view_only=310d6785949f4d0b944f747dc17ea6c5.

PubMed id: 42562026

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