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We know we can't hear everything in a busy area, or even in a quieter space. It's ultimately our attention that guides what sounds reach our conscious awareness. Think of the kids who can't hear the nagging parent.
我們都知道，人們不可能聽見喧囂地帶的每一處聲音，甚至在寂靜的地方也是這樣。最終，引導我們聆聽的注意力會轉變為意識知覺。這讓我聯想到聽不見父母嘮叨的孩子們。
But a new study finds another factor that determines if we can hear a sound: Whether that sound is appearing or vanishing.
但一項新的研究發現了另一個決定我們能否聽到聲音的因素：聲音的出現或者消失。
Scientists asked participants to detect the onset or disappearance of different pure-tone sounds within soundscapes of ranging complexity. They found that listeners are really great at detecting new sounds but far less able to detect when a sound disappears. In fact they missed at least half of the changes when it involved a disappearing sound. This distinction remained within a range of soundscapes, from very simple to pretty complex.
科學家們要求被試者探測復雜性在一定范圍內的音景中不同純音的出現和消失。他們發現聽者在探測新出現的聲音時表現優異，在探測消失的聲音時卻感到困難。實際上，只要涉及到消失的聲音，就會出現至少一半錯誤判斷。這種區別在一定的音景范圍內（從極其簡單至相當復雜）一直存在。
Researchers call this phenomenon "disappearance blindness." Interestingly, vision studies have found a similar advantage for objects that appear, as opposed to disappearing objects.
研究人員把這種現象稱為“消失盲區”。有趣的是視覺研究發現，出現的物體也具有類似的優勢，消失的物體則相反。
This study finds that ultimately the auditory system is not a “change” detector but rather a novelty detector. The researchers note that maybe detecting the appearance of new sounds, like a predator approaching or stranger in the night, is more important for survival than detecting when that sound has gone away.
這項研究發現，聽覺系統終究不善于發現變化之音，而善于發現新奇之音。研究人員指出，對生存來講探測出新聲音的出現，例如捕食者接近或者夜晚陌生人出現的聲音，都比探測出消失的聲音更重要。
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