Nina is attending a get-together where she has to struggle to listen to a conversation with her colleague due to a lot of background noise. However, her ears prick up as soon as she hears her name being mentioned by someone in another part of the room and, consequently, she loses the thread of conversation with her colleague. Which of the following terms best describes the experience Nina has?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The cocktail party effect describes the phenomenon where a person can focus their auditory attention on a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli, as when a person can focus on a single conversation in a noisy room. However, if something significant (like their name) is mentioned elsewhere, it can suddenly draw their attention. This is what Nina experienced.

Nina Is Attending a Get-Together Where She Has to Struggle