Why you can listen at cocktail parties: Songbirds' individual brain cells are tuned to particular sounds
Tuesday, November 16, 2010 - 22:30
in Psychology & Sociology
Nerve cells in the brains of songbirds are sensitive to specific sounds, and only respond when those sounds occur during communication, a recent study shows. The finding helps explain people's ability to listen to a conversation while in a noisy environment -- the "cocktail party effect."