Abstract
It is held that women react faster to hearing than men. Evidence also existed that suggested that hearing loss that was related to age differed between women and men. While men are said to be more likely to suffer hearing loss than women. When it comes to environmental factors, women on the other hand are more likely to suffer hearing loss than men as a result of advanced age. Studies have been conducted to show that there exist differences in hearing as far as sound ranges were concerned. This theory was, therefore, attributable to hormonal differences between women and men. Biologically, hormonal balance between younger women and older women would differ. These differences are however not as prevalent in men as they age. So as women age, it was suggested that their middle ear functions become slower. That would explain why they could be slower to reacting to lower threshold sounds.Introduction
Studies have been conducted to measure pure tone thresholds in women and men elsewhere around the world. The results of these studies suggested that older men were more prone to high-frequency hearing loss as compared to women. Women, on the other hand were found to have higher chances of low-frequency hearing loss as they age as opposed to their male counterparts. High-frequency hearing loss had been attributed to environmental factors according to these studies. Naturally, it is assumed that men are exposed to a variety of noisy places on a daily basis. Their areas of work and social places are well known to be noisy. Women, on the other hand, have not been known to frequent such noisy places, somehow theoretically. Other researchers have also suggested that these differences of the sexes as far as hearing was concerned could not just be as a result of the physical ear.
It was proposed that women naturally have smaller ear canals and, therefore, the audio devices that were used in the tests could have never made any tangible results as a result of comparable smaller outer ears. Some further evidence suggested that innate sex differences between women and men could also be a contributing factor to hearing loss as a consequence of age. Other studies of age-related hearing loss were also conducted in Korea. According to the results of these studies, elderly women had poor hearing of low sound frequencies as opposed to men in the same age bracket subjected to the same rate. Contrarily, studies suggested that older women of the same age had better hearing of higher frequencies as opposed to lower rates.The aim of this study was to establish the effects of age in the discussion time in both men and women. It will equally tend to verify the hypothesis that women reacted faster to hearing than men although when it comes to age, older women take longer to respond to sound as opposed to their male counterparts. The study would also establish at what threshold age would affect the hearing time reaction in women.Method
For this kind of research to obtain the desired results, there should be subjects who could either be volunteers or people who of diverse age groups who frequent health facilities with hearing problems. Both men and women should be encouraged to participate in this survey so that the truth related to this hypothesis was verified. The sample selected for this investigation should be representative of different age groups and different races. This variety in sampling would also add to establish the truth in as far this research was concerned (Der, 2006). The subjects in this study would also be required to fill questionnaires to determine their hearing loss history and the probable causative factors that they believed resulted in their loss of hearing of slowness in hearing. As part of the research, the subjects would be required to undergo voluntary hearing tests to establish if in reality they suffered from slow hearing or at what level of sound would they be comfortable in hearing.
Because the researcher's objective was to ascertain the hypothesis that the time elderly time take. While reacting to sound could be longer, the subjects would be required to dedicate their time to this research so that the truth was established. During the tests, the researcher would need to record the age of the respondents in these cases as well as their hearing history problems. The time that they take to respond to sound at different frequencies would also be considered as results of the research (Konicek-Moran, 2011). Of utmost importance would also be the sexes of the respondents. Data from the subjects would then be processed and analyzed using statistical methods of data analysis to show a correlation between age and sex in as far as hearing was concerned. The analysis would display the relation between age and the time taken to respond to any sound. Sex and taken time to respond to music would also be relayed in the analyzed data. The correlations between different frequencies of sound and time taken to answer by the different ages and sexes would also be determined in the data analysis. The analyzed data would also be presented in acceptable data presentation formats to show that, elderly women take longer to respond to sound than old men and younger women. The other objective that the analyzed data would also show would be that older women reacted faster to high-frequency sound that to low-frequency sound. Results
The results showcase that the females have a better reaction to sound that the male counterparts. The time taken by women to hear something would be relatively higher than what men took to respond to the same. The results show that the frequency of the sound used for analysis does not matter. Women have a higher response in all the frequencies. The men have a slow reaction and would require a repetitive reaction before they could hear and interpret a sound. All women of all ages outdid the men in the hearing of sound, even though the comparison varied in different ages (Konicek-Moran, 2011). For instance, the younger women would have a better response than the older women, when though the older women would respond better that a substantial part of the younger men. The ones that were extremely old could be exempted even though the results have some significance. The younger women had the best response time to all the frequencies that were presented. The results demote to the good hearing that the women possess over the men. In addition, the results highlighted that the hearing in men was worse when it involved those who are older. The younger men have register better responses than the men who are older. The age when response starts to become better would be identified as the middle age. Men beyond 45 years of age had a slower response than those who are younger. The situation gets worse as the men continue to grow since their hearing becomes relatively bad. The very old ones would take a much longer time to respond to a situation. The same was the case with older women (Der, 2006). Those who are very old would naturally not be expected to have a perfect hearing. The rationale behind this is that age comes with many effects, hearing being one of them. The young men and women used as respondents for the survey would be a fair match and provide an accurate determination.
The result would be that the young women respond to sound frequencies in a shorter time. The rationale behind the results is that women are biologically and naturally inclined to respond to sound. The hearing, as established by the research, deteriorates with age (Bonder, & Bello-Haas, 2009).Discussion The major objective of this research was to establish the correlation between age, sex and hearing. Like we mentioned in the hypothesis, it was suggested that women react faster to hearing than men. According to the results of this research, it was indeed established that reaction to hearing has variations between men and women who were sampled to participate in this survey. It was further established that age, played a major factor in establishing the variations that were established in the research. Of concern were the results that were established in the older women who participated in the research. The older women, the results of the survey proved that they were slower in reacting to hearing. They took more time to react to hearing than the younger women who participated in the research. This according to scientists was hypothetically related to the human body. Scientists suggested that as women age, their hormonal balance was disturbed as opposed to the younger women. This hormonal fluctuation was found to have an effect on the middle ear that was responsible for response to sound. Further results established that the older women had a faster reaction to high frequency sound than to lower frequency sounds. As for men, the results established that older men had no serious problems reacting to sound. They took lesser time in reacting to sound than the women with whom they shared the same age. This was found to be kind of the reverse when the same tests were put to both sexes of a younger age (Don, Ponton, Eggermont, & Masud, 1993).
The results of these findings would be relevant not only to the researcher but to the general public as well. The establishment of the correlation between the times taken to react to hearing by women of different ages as compared to men would be a useful statistics in the understanding and care of the elderly amongst us in our societies. The people tasked to take care of the elderly would ultimately find these results very useful especially those who take care of the elderly women. It would be imperative for them to try understanding this class of persons if they took too much time to respond to the question that they might be asked (Bonder, & Bello-Haas, 2009). They would also be in the know that these classes of persons do not wish to be slower in reacting to hearing but that it was as a result of fate and destiny. The results would further be of relevance to healthcare givers who are constantly approached by these elderly persons to give lasting solutions to their hearing problems. They would be at a position of knowledge that for women, hearing disorders come with advanced age. This would help them find better ways of handling these people whenever they would be approached to give alternatives to their hearing disorders, thanks to this research (Don, Ponton, Eggermont, & Masud, 1993).
Consequently, the governments would also be a beneficiary to the results of these findings. As the body tasked with the affairs of its citizens, the governments departments in charge of healthcare and social services would particularly find this research useful. Not only would it help them in planning, it would also help them in knowing how to take care of these elderly persons in the future.
With its findings, the research however encountered some limitations during the period that it was conducted. The limitations though would not have bigger consequences on the results of the survey. It was particularly hard to establish the actual truth if the elderly women actually took longer time in reacting to hearing either by design or by default. The sequence of their responses indicated this to be natural which vindicated these results to be believable. There was also some resistance from the respondents who would have otherwise contributed to the research. Other would be subjects wanted material compensation in order to participate in the research. The research generally was successful and its results as analyzed and interpreted were the actual findings of the researchers (Bonder, & Bello-Haas, 2009).
In closing, it is without a shadow of doubt that the female have a faster reaction to hearing the buzzer as compared to their male counterparts. That has clearly been proved beyond doubt in the wide elaboration that has been given exceeding. In addition, such an assumption has been conclusive been supported by the data presented from an experiment that was conducted. From the research, various aspects were taken into contemplation resulting to the above assumption. For instance, both male and female samples were taken. In addition, the ages of the participants were as well varied to ensure better and conclusive results were attained. Both male and females that were considered were of the age of between seventeen years and fifty-five years. It was a good range that would result in a sound outcomes. As deduced from the data, male counterparts were experiencing fewer reaction times as they grew older. That would be attributed to various factors all of which have been expounded herein visibly. For instance, it is presumed that men are exposed to a variety of noisy places on a daily basis not forgetting to mention that most of their places of work and social areas are well known to be noisy.
References
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