From sounds to meaning: the role of attention during auditory scene analysis

Abstract

Purpose of review From the cochlea to associative auditory cortex, incoming acoustic data undergo a series of transformations that allow us to build up representations of the various sound sources present in the environment. Here, we examine the role of selective attention in this process, with an emphasis on studies understanding how the human brain solves complex auditory scenes. We also examine the potential usefulness of the scene analysis framework in research and clinical application to hearing problems. Recent findings Evidence from behavioral and neuroimaging studies suggests that auditory scene analysis engages attention-independent as well as attention-dependent processes. Selective attention may enhance figure–ground segregation via a sensory gain control mechanism that enhances the processing of task-relevant acoustic data, and a suppression mechanism that attenuates neuronal responses to task-irrelevant stimuli. Moreover, selective attention keeps sound representations active in memory, thereby easing their integration and comparison with stored (schemata) representations of prior sound objects. Summary Understanding an auditory scene requires complex interactions between data-driven and higher level schema-driven processes that reflect listeners' knowledge and experiences with the auditory environment. Such interactions are at the forefront of hearing and determine our perceptual experience.