Effort and Displeasure in People Who Are Hard of Hearing

Abstract

Listening effort helps explain why people who are hard of hearing are prone to fatigue and social withdrawal. However, a one-factor model that cites only effort due to hardness of hearing is insufficient as there are many who lead happy lives despite their disability. This article explores other contributory factors, in particular motivational arousal and pleasure. The theory of rational motivational arousal predicts that some people forego listening comprehension because they believe it to be impossible and hence worth no effort at all. This is problematic. Why should the listening task be rated this way, given the availability of aids that reduce its difficulty? Two additional factors narrow the explanatory gap. First, we separate the listening task from the benefit derived as a consequence. The latter is temporally more distant, and is discounted as a result. The second factor is displeasure attributed to the listening task, which increases listening cost. Many who are hard of hearing enjoy social interaction. In such cases, the actual activity of listening is a benefit, not a cost. These people also reap the benefits of listening, but do not have to balance these against the displeasure of the task. It is suggested that if motivational harmony can be induced by training in somebody who is hard of hearing, then the obstacle to motivational arousal would be removed. This suggests a modified goal for health care professionals. Do not just teach those who are hard of hearing how to use hearing assistance devices. Teach them how to do so with pleasure and enjoyment.

Listening and Learning: Cognitive Contributions to the Rehabilitation of Older Adults With and Without Audiometrically Defined Hearing Loss

“…When discussed within the context of an individual partaking in training exercises, or attempting to listen in challenging communication situations, a person’s level of motivation might determine the amount of processing resources they wish to allocate to the task. Their level of motivation also influences the point in the cost-benefit ratio at which the individual will decide to withdraw or overcome the obstacles in pursuit of their goal (see Matthen, this issue, pp. XXXX).…”

Social Connectedness and Perceived Listening Effort in Adult Cochlear Implant Users: A Grounded Theory to Establish Content Validity for a New Patient-Reported Outcome Measure

“…If a task is perceived as too difficult, effort will be less. Motivation, in turn, may be influenced by psychological factors such as belonging, self-efficacy, pleasure and fatigue (Matthen 2016;Pichora-Fuller 2016;Pichora-Fuller et al).…”

Hearing Impairment and Cognitive Energy: The Framework for Understanding Effortful Listening (FUEL)

“…We realized that it was unlikely that we could find a direct measure of "the hardness of hearing" (Matthen 2016, this issue, pp. 28S-34S).…”

“…Some current models (e.g., Hockey 2013) suggest that the subjective (unpleasant) experience of fatigue may actually be a trigger that encourages the individual to evaluate the benefits of successful performance relative to the effort required to achieve, or maintain, that performance. Similarly, (dis)pleasure can predispose effort insofar as pleasure in anticipation of and during performing a task can be motivating (Matthen 2016, this issue, pp. 28S-34S).…”