Research
People blind since infancy are said to hear better, but the difference isn’t in their ears
Earth.com · By Eric Ralls ·
The Brief
- Adults blind since infancy did no better than sighted adults at detecting a faint tone hidden in noise, a test of the ear itself.
- Their advantage appeared elsewhere: the excerpt says they pulled ahead on telling whether a sound came from a particular direction or location, but it is cut off before the full description.
- The popular belief that early-blind people hear better across the board is not supported for the ear itself.
Why it matters
It suggests that any better hearing in people blind since infancy may come from how the brain processes sound rather than from more sensitive ears, which matters for researchers studying sensory compensation.
Who’s affected
- researchers in auditory and sensory neuroscience
- readers interested in blindness and sensory compensation
- #hearing
- #blindness
- #auditory-perception
- #neuroscience
- #sensory-compensation
People who lose their sight early in life are widely thought to hear better across the board. Yet, on a test of the ear itself, adults blind since infancy did no better than sighted adults at catching a faint tone hidden in noise. Where they did pull ahead was in telling whether…