(862) Music With Lyrics Augments Emotional Responses to Music in Cochlear Implant Users

Introduction: Music enjoyment in cochlear implant (CI) users varies with listening configuration and stimulus features. Lyrics may add semantic and prosodic cues that shape emotional responses to music. This study assesses the effect of lyrics on valence and arousal range in CI users.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 96 music enjoyment surveys from CI users, rating valence/arousal for 10 validated music clips. Scores for clips with and without lyrics were separated, and valence/arousal ranges were computed. Paired t tests compared lyric vs. no-lyric ranges overall and within CI subgroups (bimodal, single-sided deafness [SSD], bilateral CI). CI modality differences were assessed by one-way ANOVA within each lyric condition. Linear regression tested associations of lyric presence, CI type, prelingual deafness, and primary language with valence and arousal range.

Results: Mean age was 63.3 (SD 16.9) years. 42.3% were bimodal, 41.2% had bilateral CIs, and 15.2% had SSD. 12.5% were prelingually deaf. Hearing loss duration was 30.3 (SD 21.7) years. 89.6% reported English as the primary language. Music with lyrics produced greater valence (p=4.7e-19) and arousal range (p=8.4e-14) than without lyrics, remaining significant in SSD, bimodal, and bilateral CI subgroups. On ANOVA, valence range differed by CI modality only in music without lyrics (p=0.008). Conversely, arousal range differed by CI modality only in music with lyrics (p=0.0007). In covariate models, lyric presence was the strongest predictor of valence and arousal range. SSD predicted larger ranges while prelingual deafness and primary language were insignificant.

Conclusions: Lyrics substantially expand emotional responses to music in CI users. Valence dynamics differ by CI type for instrumental listening, whereas arousal dynamics differ by CI type when linguistic and prosodic cues are present. These findings support rehabilitation strategies that leverage lyric-rich material to enhance engagement and underscore the need to train non-lyric features (timbre, pitch, harmony) to address residual barriers when semantic cues are absent.