Chapter 6 Listening 163interfere with our ability to comprehend information
and respond appropriately. We also offer advice for over-
coming these barriers (Nichols, Brown, & Keller, 2006).
Environmental Factors
Loud noise, such as sounds we experience at sport-
ing events and rock concerts or when working around
heavy equipment, is only one environmental factor
impairing our ability to listen (and sometimes hear)
(Cohen, 2013). Large groups present another dif-
ficulty, as they involve more people competing for
your attention. Distractions in your environment—
your phone signaling text messages, a baby crying,
a train rumbling by your house—can also impair
listening. Indeed, local transit systems can be as loud as
a rock concert (around 120 decibels) (Childs, 2009).
Even the temperature or air quality in a room can be distracting enough to
affect our listening.
If you know that environmental factors will distract you from a listen-
ing situation ahead of time, you can take steps to eliminate distractions. For
example, if there’s a classroom on your campus that’s always cold, even when
it’s ninety degrees outside, bring a sweater or jacket to that class. Avoid busy
public places when planning for an intimate conversation. And if you must
attend a lecture with a lot of rowdy people, get to the meeting early and pick a
seat closer to the speaker.
Hearing and Processing Challenges
Sometimes difficulty with listening lies not in the environment but in a physical
or medical issue. For example, our hearing ability declines with age, affecting our
ability to hear words as well as speech tone, pitch, and range (Bellis & Wilber,
2001; Villaume & Brown, 1999). Stereotypes of older adults portray them as
unable to engage in normal conversation because
of cognitive decline, but the real problem is often
that they have to work harder to distinguish sounds
(Murphy, Daneman, & Schneider, 2006). Accidents,
diseases, stress and anxiety, and physical differences
can also cause varying degrees of hearing impair-
ment—for anyone, not just elderly people (Roup &
Chiasson, 2010).
Still, hearing loss (even total hearing loss) does
not mean that an individual cannot listen compe-
tently. Deaf individuals often speak of “listening with
their eyes” and research notes that those who can-
not hear physically are quite competent at decoding
nonverbal behaviors revealing a speaker’s emotions
(Grossman & Kegl, 2007). In addition, individuals
SOMETIMES we listen
for the pure enjoyment of the
sound of a jazz artist, a string
quartet, or a rock band.
© Herman Leonard Photography LLCLISTENING is not
reserved for those with the
ability to hear. These two
friends are sharing ideas
through sign language. © vikki
martin/Alamy