In the crowded bar, Karl is telling Sean about a row he has had with his girlfriend. Despite the other conversations going on around them Sean is having no difficulty attending to what Karl is saying. This is an example of
A) dichotic listening.
B) shadowing.
C) implicit memory.
D) inhibition of return.
E) the cocktail-party phenomenon.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The cocktail-party phenomenon describes the ability to focus one's 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 environment. This is what Sean is doing by attending to Karl's story despite the crowded bar noise.

In the Crowded Bar, Karl Is Telling Sean About a Row