Auditory Attention
The cognitive process of selectively focusing on a target auditory stimulus while suppressing competing sounds, a function commonly impaired in listeners with hearing loss who rely on increased cognitive resources to process degraded speech.
Full Definition
Auditory attention encompasses both selective attention (focusing on one sound source among several) and sustained attention (maintaining focus on an auditory stream over time). In the context of aural rehabilitation, impaired hearing forces the auditory system to devote greater cognitive resources to decoding degraded signals, leaving fewer resources available for higher-order language processing and memory. Rehabilitation programmes may incorporate attention-training exercises alongside amplification to address this cognitive load. Editors should distinguish auditory attention from listening effort (the perceived or measured cost of effortful listening) and from auditory processing disorder (a deficit in the neural processing of sound that occurs independently of cognitive attention).
Usage
Usage note: Distinguish from 'listening effort', which describes the subjective or physiological cost of attending, rather than the attentional capacity itself.
In Context
- "The study used pupillometry to measure auditory attention load during speech-in-noise tasks in experienced hearing aid users." — Cognitive audiology research paper
- "Reduced auditory attention in older adults with hearing loss may contribute to the increased cognitive fatigue reported after extended listening periods." — Clinical review article