Studies have also shown that we interpret ‘speech’ sounds differently to other sounds.

Research into how we listen is ongoing, but we do know that it can be linked to our working memory, long-term memory, vocabulary ‘store’, executive function, and attention. The way we listen can differ depending on what we’re listening to, and the conditions we’re in. Listening, on the other hand, is a psychological process. It includes ‘tuning in’ to sound, distinguishing between different sounds, the number of sounds we can listen to at the same time, noticing differences in tone, speed and pitch, remembering and recalling information, our perception of volume, and the way we process sounds against any background noise. These signals are carried to our brain where they’re turned into a sound that we can understand.Īuditory processing encompasses everything that happens along the pathway from our inner ear to our brain and the way our brain processes sound once it receives it. Once in the inner ear, soundwaves go through a serious of steps, which end with them becoming electrical signals. Three tiny bones in our ear receive these vibrations, then send them towards our inner ear. Soundwaves start at our outer ear, then travel through our ear canal until they reach our eardrum, causing it to vibrate. When sound reaches our ear, it goes on a journey to convert it from a soundwave to an electrical signal. We pay attention to them, process them, and try to make sense of them. To listen, we have to interpret the sound(s) that we hear. Listening, on the other hand, is defined as “to pay attention to sound” or “to hear something with thoughtful attention: give consideration”. Sometimes we will hear things subconsciously. Hearing is a physiological act it relates to our physical biology. When we hear something, we’re aware of the noise or sound it makes, but we don’t necessarily interpret or make sense of it. The dictionary defines hearing as: “the process, function or power of perceiving sound”.

Hearing v listening