_Auditory Process
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On this page, I present my own view of the auditory process, distilled from many years of working in this area and thinking about what is going on. I have tried to keep the concept simple, and orientated to practical intervention, but it is rather dense and for this I apologise.
Sensory processesin general are the interface between the external world and our perceptions. In order to make sense of the external world, events have to stimulate us, and that stimulation has to activate “symbols” stored in our brain if we are to recognise (perceive) the external event. This view of the process is known as "categorical perception".
Specifically, the auditory process allows acoustic events in the outside world to activate auditory symbols stored in the brain. Some of these symbols occupy a very large “space” and are easy targets – most people, even those with poor hearing, will be able to identify many environmental sounds as a result. Some symbols, however, occupy very small “spaces” and are much more difficult targets for the auditory process. This is why some people may have difficulty understanding what is being said, even though they can hear the sound of the other person’s voice quite comfortably.
In order for this process to work effectively, two main sub-processes must be functioning efficiently:
· The system must be adequately stimulated, and
· We must be able to selectively attend in order to perceive the event.
If either of these processes is not working properly, then perception will not occur.
Auditory Redundancy refers to the adequacy of stimulation of the auditory system. Auditory redundancy will be reduced if the
· Stimulus is weak or poorly defined
· There is some peripheral auditory dysfunction (e.g., “hearing loss”, i.e., partial or complete deafness)
· If there is a weak or nil representation of the acoustic event in the brain, as in when we listen to someone speaking an unfamiliar or unknown language, for instance
· If the listener is not attending
Dichotic processes, or how the system processes independent input from each ear, is linked to the ability to select, out of all the stimulation which we receive, that which is of interest to us. It is also linked to our ability to perceive spatial differences between acoustic events.
There are other minor, but still crucial, factors which can also affect the auditory process. These include:
Auditory Working Memory allows us to revisit very recent auditory events to check on their accuracy. Normally, in contrast to most visual experiences, we do not have the luxury of listening to something again for clarification, unless we make it happen. Our auditory working memory helps out in this area.
Auditory Sequencingallows us to perceive patterns in auditory events and this in turn allows us to learn new “symbols”.
Auditory Sensory Integrationallows us to use language to describe our auditory experiences. To a certain extent, this feeds back into auditory redundancy by allowing cognitive (thinking) effort to increase the chance of accurate identification.
Auditory perception is a very complex process that involves “bottom-up” (input from the ears) and “top-down” (cognitive effort) to succeed. Under normal circumstances, this process works very efficiently and auditory perception occurs effectively automatically.
When auditory perception does not work properly, when someone has a “hearing problem”, the person is required to use more cognitive effort to compensate for the reduction in automatic function, and this is tiring and stressful, making it more difficult for a person to interact by spoken language with other people, maintain social interactions as an equal, or learn new knowledge or skills.
This can adverse affects at different stages of life:
· Acquisition of language (especially in the first 3 years of life),
· Acquisition of learning skills (first 4 years in education),
· Acquisition of social skills (through childhood and adolescence),
· Maintenance of social function (childhood, adolescence and adulthood), and
· Maintenance of family interactions (childhood, adolescence and adulthood).
On this page, I present my own view of the auditory process, distilled from many years of working in this area and thinking about what is going on. I have tried to keep the concept simple, and orientated to practical intervention, but it is rather dense and for this I apologise.
Sensory processesin general are the interface between the external world and our perceptions. In order to make sense of the external world, events have to stimulate us, and that stimulation has to activate “symbols” stored in our brain if we are to recognise (perceive) the external event. This view of the process is known as "categorical perception".
Specifically, the auditory process allows acoustic events in the outside world to activate auditory symbols stored in the brain. Some of these symbols occupy a very large “space” and are easy targets – most people, even those with poor hearing, will be able to identify many environmental sounds as a result. Some symbols, however, occupy very small “spaces” and are much more difficult targets for the auditory process. This is why some people may have difficulty understanding what is being said, even though they can hear the sound of the other person’s voice quite comfortably.
In order for this process to work effectively, two main sub-processes must be functioning efficiently:
· The system must be adequately stimulated, and
· We must be able to selectively attend in order to perceive the event.
If either of these processes is not working properly, then perception will not occur.
Auditory Redundancy refers to the adequacy of stimulation of the auditory system. Auditory redundancy will be reduced if the
· Stimulus is weak or poorly defined
· There is some peripheral auditory dysfunction (e.g., “hearing loss”, i.e., partial or complete deafness)
· If there is a weak or nil representation of the acoustic event in the brain, as in when we listen to someone speaking an unfamiliar or unknown language, for instance
· If the listener is not attending
Dichotic processes, or how the system processes independent input from each ear, is linked to the ability to select, out of all the stimulation which we receive, that which is of interest to us. It is also linked to our ability to perceive spatial differences between acoustic events.
There are other minor, but still crucial, factors which can also affect the auditory process. These include:
Auditory Working Memory allows us to revisit very recent auditory events to check on their accuracy. Normally, in contrast to most visual experiences, we do not have the luxury of listening to something again for clarification, unless we make it happen. Our auditory working memory helps out in this area.
Auditory Sequencingallows us to perceive patterns in auditory events and this in turn allows us to learn new “symbols”.
Auditory Sensory Integrationallows us to use language to describe our auditory experiences. To a certain extent, this feeds back into auditory redundancy by allowing cognitive (thinking) effort to increase the chance of accurate identification.
Auditory perception is a very complex process that involves “bottom-up” (input from the ears) and “top-down” (cognitive effort) to succeed. Under normal circumstances, this process works very efficiently and auditory perception occurs effectively automatically.
When auditory perception does not work properly, when someone has a “hearing problem”, the person is required to use more cognitive effort to compensate for the reduction in automatic function, and this is tiring and stressful, making it more difficult for a person to interact by spoken language with other people, maintain social interactions as an equal, or learn new knowledge or skills.
This can adverse affects at different stages of life:
· Acquisition of language (especially in the first 3 years of life),
· Acquisition of learning skills (first 4 years in education),
· Acquisition of social skills (through childhood and adolescence),
· Maintenance of social function (childhood, adolescence and adulthood), and
· Maintenance of family interactions (childhood, adolescence and adulthood).