Evaluating Multisensory Stimuli as a Mechanism to Boost Cognition and Wellbeing in Old Age

With advancing healthcare and increased standards of living, the proportion of older adults in society is now higher than ever and is set to rise further over the coming decades. A key focus of research is to ensure that individuals maintain their cognitive abilities and quality of life into an extended old age. The current project aims to explore the successful coping with age-related declines in sensory ability, by finding out how combining sensory information from multiple sources may compensate for impairments in hearing and vision.

Hearing impairment affects 71% of adults over 70 and more than 96% of those aged over 50 wear spectacles at least some of the time. A variety of recent research has shown that older adults perform better in tasks that utilise multimodal stimuli (e.g., audiovisual). This preference towards multisensory processing in older adults is a new result in the literature. It is currently unknown if this is a general change (like other effects of ageing such as slowing and memory loss), or if it is a compensatory process resulting from age-related sensory decline. Our data will resolve this issue and we will also establish if websites and phone calls can be usefully enhanced by video, which is multisensory.

We propose that multisensory stimuli can alleviate age deficits typically found in memory tasks by supporting cognitively-demanding perceptual processing. A well-established feature of age-related sensory loss (such as impaired vision and hearing) is its association with corresponding age-related deficits in cognition (such as memory and paying attention). A surprising finding is that some patterns of age deficits in cognition can be replicated in young adults by reducing their ability to perceive experimental stimuli: For example, if a list of items is degraded so that it is harder to see, young adults will find it harder to remember that list than a list of easy-to-see items. This suggests that perceptual processes are taking up cognitive resources that might otherwise have been used to effectively memorise information. Such findings therefore demonstrate the potential to improve cognitive performance by facilitating perception. In this study, we will investigate whether memory improves when people can both see and hear the lists of items.

The finding that older adults make more use of multisensory (auditory and visual) stimuli comes mainly from studies where older adults make simple responses to visual, auditory, or audiovisual stimuli. Memory tasks involve more complicated perceptual and cognitive processes. In a series of 9 studies, we will advance the theoretical understanding of multisensory processing in ageing and establish how memory performance can be improved by making stimuli multisensory. We will also establish if a bias towards multisensory processing in older adults is a result of individual differences in sensory ability (e.g., does an individual with hearing impairment use more visual information than an individual without hearing impairment), or if this is just a general response to ageing. We will also establish if age deficits can be further alleviated by actively encouraging the use of multisensory stimuli through experimental instruction.

Finally, we will investigate whether the benefits we find in lab-based studies can lead to real-world improvements in memory and wellbeing for older adults. For example, we will investigate whether multimedia information can help older adults to obtain and remember health information more effectively than when information is only presented visually. Throughout the project, we will evaluate how receptive older adults are to the utilisation of multisensory materials in different contexts to assess where these interventions should be targeted.

Multisensory stimuli can improve perception for all age groups, but it is currently unknown if this perceptual facilitation can translate to deeper benefits such as improved memory. With an emphasis on alleviating age-related deficits, the project will inform academic understanding of age-related decline at the same time as advancing theory in a direction that leads to real-world applications.

The proposed research will develop academic understanding of sensory ability, ageing and memory. Impact is embedded into the project in that the applied phase of the project will produce guidance on ways in which informative materials and communication technology might be improved by a multisensory end-user experience, particularly for older adults. We will also be able to encourage older adults directly to engage more with multisensory technology. Finally, the project will also support ageing research environments in the hosting institutions. The pathways to impact document further highlights specific mechanisms for obtaining impact based on the topics summarised below.

Human factors and applied psychology

The project will evaluate if multisensory material can aid memory for important information, and if older adults can benefit from multimodal technology such as video calls to promote greater social engagement and wellbeing. The project includes both an investigation of the key theoretical underpinnings of these technologies but also some explicit testing of satisfaction, memory and information seeking with multisensory calls and webpages. We also include a participant panel and work to engage the public to evaluate the acceptability of this technology. This will be of direct relevance to product designers and applied researchers seeking to improve older adults' user experience and engagement with products and services. We will provide guidance for designers and, if appropriate, generate a further translational project with commercial partners.

Older individuals

Understanding of changing perception and its effect on cognition will be useful in and of itself for older people and we will communicate this to a wider audience throughout the project. Furthermore, the outcomes of this project have the potential to improve the usability and quality of multisensory technology. The technology behind video calls is better than ever, and more older adults are engaging with the internet. By encouraging simple lifestyle changes, our research could help older individuals utilise more effective communication technology which may reduce their social isolation and increase their wellbeing.

Research environment

The increasing need for geriatric research is a global problem and it is critical for UK universities to address such important issues in order to maintain their status in the international research community. Furthermore, the funding will support the age-related research facilities at each institution involved by helping to maintain and promote older volunteer participation. Finally, the project will increase the ageing research experience across the team, promoting future work in this field; especially for the named post-doc and research assistant, who will be beginning their research careers, and for the patient and public involvement panel who may work on future projects.