Procedure and design
MP
RECRUITMENT
The CONSORT checklist and the study protocol are provided in All participants attended two sessions of approximately three hours each, with at least one week between them. At the start of the first session, participants completed several assessments, including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) [A randomized cross-over design was employed. The tasks were carried out in two sessions, one without PSAPs and the other with bilateral PSAPs. The order of the sessions was counterbalanced between participants using the block randomization method with blocks of three by the experimenters (MP, BL). The order of sessions was determined by the recruitment order (e.g., the first three participants performed the tasks without PSAPs first, then the next three with PSAPs, and so on). As a result, the order was made regardless of the participant’s health. Thirteen participants performed the tasks without PSAPs first, while 15 participants completed the tasks with PSAPs first. All procedures took place at Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute in a double-walled soundproof room. Participants were given breaks during testing if necessary. The study design remained unchanged throughout the experiment.