Zara went out with her friends to a large gathering. She was trying to follow what her friend was telling her despite the loud noise from the crowd. Suddenly, she heard her name being called out from somewhere behind her. This led her to lose her entire focus on her current conversation with her friend; she became more aware of the conversations going on behind her and she repeatedly looked over her shoulder. Which of the following phenomena is responsible for Zara's actions?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The cocktail party effect describes Zara's ability to focus her attention on a single conversation in a noisy environment, and then suddenly shift her attention to another conversation when something as personally relevant as her name is mentioned. This phenomenon explains why she lost focus on her current conversation and became more aware of the conversations behind her.

Zara Went Out with Her Friends to a Large Gathering