Most people find conversation easy, in spite of the incredibly complex set of skills that are required. During conversation, you not only need to listen to and comprehend what is currently being said, but also think of an appropriate response and jump in for your own turn at the right time. Making predictions about what a conversation partner is likely to say next, and when they are likely to say it, makes it easier to both process their incoming speech and take turns smoothly.  

Given degraded auditory input, people with hearing impairment find conversation challenging, and often become isolated and lonely as a result of the difficulties they experience. Furthermore, while they could particularly benefit from making predictions, they seem to both make and use prediction quite differently to people with normal hearing.

Key aims and expertise

Hearing in a Social Context - Prediction in Communicative Interaction (HS-PrediCt) is a UKRI-funded project led by Dr Lauren V Hadley. The HS-PrediCt team investigate how and when people make predictions during interaction, and how prediction mechanisms break down with hearing impairment, to develop new technology to benefit the hearing-impaired population.

We are based in the University of Nottingham’s Hearing Sciences – Scottish Section in Glasgow, and work closely with other groups at the University of Nottingham.