Ross Maddox, Ph.D.
Meet the Researcher
Ross Maddox, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington. Maddox received his Ph.D. and M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, and his B.S. from the University of Michigan. Dr. Maddox is a Royal Arch Masons award recipient. The Royal Arch Masons support Emerging Research Grants in the area of Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD). See all researchers who have received or are currently receiving funding from the Royal Arch Masons.
The Research
University of Washington
Relating behavior to brain in an audio-visual scene
Every day, listeners are presented with a barrage of sensory information in multiple sensory modalities. This can be overwhelming, but it also can allow for redundant information to be combined across the senses. This binding is well documented, but not well understood. Behavioral tests and brain imaging (magneto- and electroencephalography) will be used to study the brain activity associated with combing visual and auditory information. Particular interests include how congruent timing in auditory and visual stimuli allows them to be combined into a single sensory object, and what benefits this has for the listener. Using magneto- and electroencephalography will allow us to examine the brain’s response to our stimuli at a fine time-scale to determine what parts of the brain are involved in binding auditory and visual stimuli together. Listening to speech in noisy conditions can be difficult for normal-hearing listeners, but it is even harder for impaired listeners, such as hearing aid users, cochlear implant users, and those with central auditory processing disorders (CAPD). In this first phase, we will work with normal hearing listeners, to establish a baseline and understand how an individual's brain activity is related to their perception.
Research area: Central Auditory Processing Disorder; Fundamental auditory research
Long-term goal of research: This proposal is the beginning of a line of research investigating the specific behavioral effects of audio-visual binding and its processing in the brain. Behavioral tests with brain imaging will be used to investigate the importance of combining information across the visual and auditory senses, and establish relationships in brain activity and behavior, an effort that could inspire new audio-logical therapies.
