The 2022 Annual M.D. Steer Distinguished Lecture Series returns this fall with Dr. Barbara Shinn-Cunningham, Cowan Professor of Auditory Neuroscience and Director of the Neuroscience Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. There will be a reception in the 3rd floor atrium immediately following the lecture.

Abstract: Communicating in a social setting relies upon the ability to focus on an important sound amidst competing sounds. In healthy, normal-hearing listeners, complex negotiations between volitional, top-down attention and involuntary, bottom-up attention allow listeners to focus on and understand whatever talker matters in a given moment. Yet, even a modest hearing impairment can hamstring a listener faced with such a task. This talk explores why sensory deficits can cripple everyday communication, especially when a listener is trying to follow a conversation in a social setting.