Beyond the audiogram: Maternal education is associated with speech perception in noise in young adults with clinically normal hearing

Speech perception in noise varies among individuals with clinically normal hearing and is not fully explained by peripheral hearing sensitivity. This study examined whether maternal education, an indicator of socioeconomic status, is associated with Quick Speech-in-Noise (QuickSIN) performance in 63 young adults with normal hearing. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that higher maternal education was associated with better speech perception in noise performance, while controlling for pure-tone average, age, and sex. Pure-tone hearing sensitivity was not associated with QuickSIN performance. These findings suggest that maternal education is associated with individual differences in speech perception in noise beyond peripheral hearing sensitivity and may warrant consideration when examining factors related to auditory performance.