The aging auditory system is characterized by anatomical alterations in peripheral and central structures. Aging is also accompanied by decline in cognitive processes. While many deficits in perception are attributed to peripheral hearing loss, there remain age-related alterations in processing of signals beyond those that are associated with sensitivity loss. The focus of this laboratory is investigation of the consequences of aging and hearing loss on auditory performance. Our work has shown that age-related deficits, independent of hearing loss, are primarily observed on measures of auditory temporal processing. The strategies employed include evaluation of behavioral performance on speech perception and psychoacoustic tasks, as well as electrophysiologic indices that alter stimulus timing or presentation rate.