Neural speech encoding advantages associated with higher socioeconomic status extend to noise conditions with differential susceptibility

Neural findings indicate that socioeconomic background shapes long-term susceptibility to noise, with higher-SES individuals exhibiting smaller timing delays in both onset and mid-syllabic encoding and more preserved neural fidelity. These advantages may arise from differences in subcortical and cortical phase-locked activity, reflecting neural patterns shaped over development. Maternal education may serve as a proxy for early-life conditions shaped by environmental factors and life experiences during sensitive periods when neural encoding is highly malleable, leaving durable imprints into adulthood.