| dc.description.abstract | Verbal reasoning is an indicator of the ability to think constructively in everyday life, and relies on both fluid (working memory processing) and crystallised (knowledge-based judgement) skills. Recent data (Rönnberg et al., 2011; Rönnberg et al., 2014) suggest that a greater degree of hearing loss is associated with poorer episodic and semantic long-term memory (crystallised ability), but not working memory (fluid ability). Therefore, it would seem reasonable to assume that only to the extent that verbal reasoning depends more on crystallised than fluid skills, hearing loss may have a negative association with verbal reasoning.
Using cross-sectional data from the UK Biobank resource, we here examine the effect of functional hearing on verbal reasoning, when controlling for age, gender, and education, and investigate if hearing aid usage mitigates the effect. In addition, using structural equation modelling (SEM), we examine different routes from functional hearing to verbal reasoning. | en_US |
