Auditory attention: foundations, theories, and mechanisms

• Main Authors: Hossein Talebi, Saeideh Mehrkian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tehran University of Medical Sciences 2017-07-01
• Series: Auditory and Vestibular Research
• Subjects: Auditory attention; working memory; top-down process; competitive selection; automatic bottom-up filtering
• Online Access: https://avr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/avr/article/view/305

Background and Aim: There are four fundamental processes of attention: working memory, topdown sensitivity control, competitive selection, and automatic bottom-up filtering for salient stimuli.Each process makes an essential contribution to attention. Voluntary control operates on the first three processes in a recurrent loop. We reviewed comprehensive researches, theories, mechanisms, and central nervous system functions of auditory attention. Methods: In this study, publications on auditory attention from 1953 to 2012 in PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Iran Medex, and Goole scholar were reviewed. Keywords were auditory attention and related words. Conclusion: In general, auditory attention plays an important role in auditory processing and modulates this process from cochlea to auditory cortex through its four primary components.