Group No. 16

An Introduction to

Hearing & Attention

Presentation prepared by

Fools Mahir Dyan

Musfiq Shajib

Delwar Hossain

Nafiu Ahmed

Alam Nur

What is Hearing ?

• According to Wikipedia, “Hearing,

auditory perception, or audition is the ability

to perceive sound by detecting vibrations.”

• It is a very complex physiological

process which involves the reception

and conversion of specific waves into

specific sounds.

Hearing and Listening

Hearing and Listening •To hear, brain receives

the nerve impulse, to listen

brain deciphers the

impulse.

•Listening means some

responsibilities to

response, but hearing does

not.

•Memory lasts longer in

the case of listening, but

not hearing.

How We Hear?

There are three parts of ear:

•The Outer Ear

•The Middle Ear

•The Inner Ear

How We Hear ?

1) The Outer Ear:

• Pinna : modifies

wave frequencies

• Auditory canal:

passes the wave to

middle ear

How We Hear ?

2) The Middle Ear:

• consists of three small bones

called ossicles

•ensures efficient transfer of

sound waves to Cochlea

•controls the amount of sound

reaches to the inner ear.

How We Hear ?

3) The Inner Ear:

•Cochlea : small in size

like thumbnails, full of

fluid.

•Tiny hair cells: connected

to the auditory cortex of the

brain.

•Auditory Nerves: pass

the impulses to the brain

Attention

• Attention is the focusing of consciousness

on an object or train of thought. It can be

directed either externally or internally.

• According to William James,“Attention is

the taking possession of the mind, in clear

and vivid form”

Attention

Attention is considered as a timed process

requiring three neurological elements:

A. Arousal : activate brain chemical

B. Orientation : engaging

neurotransmitters to the new stimulus

C. Focus : locks neurotransmissions on to

parts of the cerebral cortex needed to

process the stimulus

Attention

The Whole Process of Attention :

Richard Schmidt on Attention

• Attention is limited capacity system

• Attention is essential for the control of action

• Separate but interrelated networks:

1. Alertness represents a general reading to

deal with incoming stimuli.

2. Orientation refers to a specific aligning of

attention.

3. Detection is the cognitive registration of

sensory stimuli.

Selective Listening

•Selective attention

influences listening.

•When multiple sources,or

streams,of information are

present ,selective attention

must be utilized.

•Selective attention involves

a commitment of our limited

capacity process.

Selective Attention

Dichotic Listening

• Dichotic listening studies is the best known

experimental studies dealing with selective

attention.

• Results from these studies show that attention

is not only for monitoring input but also for

effective storage and retrieval of a message.