Opportunity to hear vs attention i audiella kontexter. En explorativ studie om selektiv uppmärksamhet

Abstract

This study explores how auditory attention functions in sound-rich environments where multiple audio sources compete for the listener’s focus. It aims to deepen the understanding of how we listen, what we perceive, and why certain sounds capture more attention than others. The research is exploratory and method-developing, proposing and testing a method for measuring attention in auditory contexts. It also seeks to clarify the distinction between opportunity to hear (OTH) and actual attention, with the broader goal of improving audio-based communication. The study uses a qualitative design with semi-structured individual interviews combined with a listening task. Twelve participants were exposed to three 30-second audio sequences, each constructed to isolate different independent variables: sound characteristics (low- vs high-frequency voice), content characteristics (important vs non-important message), and source characteristics (familiar vs unfamiliar voice). All audio tracks were normalized in loudness and frequency to reduce unintended variation. After each listening session, participants recalled what they had heard (unaided and aided recall) and validated the intended properties of the material. The results indicate that high-frequency voices generally captured more active attention than low-frequency ones, important messages attracted more focus than non-meaningful content, and familiar voices were more effective at retaining attention than unfamiliar ones. However, variables sometimes interacted, such as differences in share of voice (SOV), making it difficult to isolate single-factor effects. Contextual factors like listening environment and self-assessed concentration levels showed no clear pattern of influence, though individual experiences and prior knowledge sometimes played a role. The study demonstrates that the proposed method can yield meaningful insights into auditory attention, while also revealing areas for refinement, such as controlling SOV more strictly or focusing on single variables in future experiments. As a method-developing and exploratory project, it provides valuable groundwork for larger-scale research and contributes to the underexplored field of measuring attention in auditory contexts.