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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

A Method to Study Adaptation to Left-Right Reversed Audition

A Method to Study Adaptation to Left-Right Reversed Audition

Published on: October 29, 2018

Hemispheric asymmetries in auditory distraction.

Patrik Sörqvist¹, John E Marsh, Helena Jahncke

¹Department of Building, Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden. patrik.sorqvist@hig.se

Brain and Cognition

|August 7, 2010

Summary

Irrelevant sounds disrupt short-term memory. Semantic speech distracts more when presented to the right ear, but only when recalling meaning, suggesting left hemisphere involvement in semantic auditory distraction.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience
Auditory Perception

Background:

Irrelevant sound impairs serial-verbal short-term memory via the changing-state effect.
Irrelevant speech impairs semantic short-term memory via the between-sequence semantic similarity effect.
Previous research shows a left ear disadvantage for the changing-state effect.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate hemispheric asymmetry in semantic auditory distraction.
To determine if the between-sequence semantic similarity effect exhibits ear asymmetry.
To explore the role of the left hemisphere in semantic auditory distraction.

Main Methods:

Auditory distraction paradigms were used.
Participants performed serial-verbal short-term memory tasks.
Recall was based on meaning or order, with irrelevant speech presented to either the left or right ear.

Main Results:

The between-sequence semantic similarity effect was larger for right-ear presentation (right ear disadvantage).
This right ear disadvantage occurred only when recall was meaning-based, not order-based.
This finding complements existing research on cross-modal auditory distraction and hemispheric asymmetry.

Conclusions:

Semantic auditory distraction shows a right ear disadvantage, specifically for meaning-based recall.
This suggests a role for the left hemisphere in processing semantic auditory distraction.
The findings contribute to understanding hemispheric specialization in auditory distraction and memory.