Comments on: The Cocktail Party Effect

By: Robert Leslie Fielding

Robert Leslie Fielding — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:36:15 +0000

You should see my students cackle when they are together outside my classroom. They are all talking - loudly, and seemingly reacting to something someone has sadid, though for the life of me I can't tell how.
Thanks
Rob

By: David Keech

David Keech — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:34:36 +0000

Strangely enough, we can do the same thing with musical instruments in an orchestra. A musician who is familiar with the sound of each different instrument can listen to a recording of a song and write out each instrument's part individually.

We can focus on the trombones for instance and hear their part to the exclusion of the rest in the same way we can exclude all other voices in a room.

Try as we might, we simply can't get computers to be able to do the same thing in any recording with more than two or three instruments at the same time.

By: Jin HU

Jin HU — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:44:48 +0000

Isn't this study related to the fact we really can't multi-task, we can only switch our attention from one thing to another and back in mere milli-seconds. WHEN you add those milliseconds up you begin to realize your missing quite a bit.

By: Bronson

Bronson — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:56:17 +0000

Kat,

You rightly point out the connection between procedural learning and attention, but to claim such a simple form of learning is involved in social situations is not a good fit. I think a fairer comparison would be between learning to follow the road rules while riding a bike to learning to use social conventions like raising your hand.
ADD is composed of three factors; impulsivity, hypereactivty and inattention. Lacking impulse control would adversely affect decision making, for example, in a social situation like a classroon but not impair a simple sensory-motor skill like riding a bike (though impulsivity would clearly impair the child's decision making while riding).
The central issue however is not impulsivity, but whether attention is entirely under conscious control (which if it is, implies that ADD children are willfully inattentive). I think there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate that attention is not always under conscious control. Consciously controlling attention is a skill which develops with age, and some children are developmentally delayed.

By: olawale

olawale — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 02:23:00 +0000

understanding how my ear works is one of the things i hadly think about in life's research. But now i find it very amazing. understanding the reason for two ears will make me appreciate them better though i don't think it will make me a better a listener

By: Lauren

Lauren — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:05:18 +0000

This article was interesting for me since i was born partially deaf so have always worn hearing aids. With these i can hear everything clearly and have no problems in all situations except when i need to follow a conversation in loud environments with others talking around me. I think wearing hearing aids hinders the ability to specify and differenciate between conversational groups leaving me quiet and often bored at pubs etc which is otherwise out of character.

Anyhow, i'd love to be able to do this so make the most of it guys.

By: Lundy

Lundy — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 04:43:19 +0000

I found this article quite intriguing. This past week, I had an ear infection that (for about 10 hours yesterday) rendered my hearing in that ear completely deaf. Similar to Diana, though to much less of an extent, I began to hear large amounts of background noise (especially when I went to walk my dog and heard lots of leaves rustling, etc.). Also, when I was chewing food, the crunches from it seemed about four times as loud as usual.

PS: Loved the bullet points about the changes people didn't notice...switched to German, haha.

By: kat

kat — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:55:47 +0000

Bronson,
I didn't mean to sound harsh or critical. I had a delayed onset of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in my adult life. I lost procedural memories. I have a question for you, " what is the difference between learning a task that requires attention to motor skills (like riding a bike), and performing a learned response that requires paying attention to the teacher (like raising your hand in class)?"

By: APic

APic — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:47:46 +0000

On a slight tangent i also find this works with music. When listening to a piece of music, i find i can pick out different instruments in preference to others, the bassline, for example, by 'tuning in' my ear to the sound of the bass. It may take a few moments but then the bass will appear loud and clear from the mix. I can then tune back out to the guitar or drum and the bass will fade back into the song as a whole.

By: kat

kat — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:36:33 +0000

I study memories, and selective attention, or focusing on a selected portion of sensory input, controls what information moves on to short term memory and so long term memory. Poor focus may not be intentional especially in children, but I also study the Bible. I find it interesting that the Bible encourages us to paying attention to how we listen.