You may have heard the phrase “selective hearing” used negatively to describe a person only hearing what they want to hear. While similar in title and often used interchangeably, selective attention hearing means something a little different.
Selective attention hearing, also called the “cocktail party effect,” refers to a person’s ability to isolate and focus on a sound within a distracting and noisy environment. The ability to demonstrate selective attention is crucial in social situations. People with hearing loss often struggle with selective attention hearing because they cannot distinguish important sounds in a noisy environment.
Let’s delve into the research behind selective attention hearing in people with and without hearing loss and a few management options to improve your hearing.
Selective Attention Hearing for Those With Hearing Loss
One study found that people without hearing loss could easily direct their attention to their desired auditory objects. For instance, if a person without hearing loss is sitting in a bustling and noisy Joe’s Café having a conversation with a friend, they can effectively direct their attention to their desired auditory object, in this case, their friend, while ignoring background noise.
The study suggests that people with hearing loss are less able to separate the competing auditory information, leading to a slower and more difficult desired auditory object selection. If you replace the listener in the above Joe’s Café scenario with a person with hearing loss, they may struggle to understand conversation in a competing noise environment.
What Can You Do?
Hearing aids are one of the best tools for improving selective attention hearing in those with hearing loss. The small but technologically advanced devices locate important speech sounds and suppress background noise, allowing the user to better focus their attention on their desired auditory object in a noisy environment.
Symptoms of selective hearing difficulties from hearing loss are often similar to auditory processing disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other neurological conditions. If you notice yourself or others you are close to display issues with selective hearing, the best thing to do is schedule an appointment with your hearing provider. Your hearing provider can test for hearing loss and help determine if you or your loved one requires further help from another specialist.
To schedule an appointment with one of our trusted hearing providers, contact Hearing Services of Santa Barbara today.
