Auditory Perception: Form a Listening Habit by Thinking About What you Hear, Fast and Slow

Cognitive processes like auditory perception are subject to similar patterns as thinking. Thinking about thinking is metacognition, and thinking about listening is, by analogy, auditory metaperception. The Nobel-prize winning Daniel Kahneman created constructs for two major patterns of thinking – instinctual (“fast” or System 1 thinking) and more logical and conscious (“slow” or System 2 thinking). In a similar vein, there is “fast” and “slow” auditory processing. Auditory illusions provide examples of fast and slow auditory processing; such illusions demonstrate the potential inaccuracy of our interpretation of what we hear. Creating a listening habit based on hearing, fast and slow, will help us listen more accurately and increase doctor-patient connection.