Subject: R=?ISO-8859-1?Q?=E9p.?= : harmonic vs. inharmonic sounds (again one last time) From: Branka ZEI <Branka.Zei@xxxxxxxx> Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2007 12:07:30 +0100 List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>Hi Kevin, >I turn off the stimulus and in my head I "re-listen" [*] to the two examples again. >My question: what would be a 'better' word to more accurately >describe the [*] re-listen used above. What you do is "replay" the acoustic mental image constructed in your mind (brain) while listening. In this case, your acoustic image is most probably still present in the working memory (short-term memory) so you do not need to activate your long-term memory (involved in recall from long-term storage). By definition, auditory echoic memory is a system that receives auditory stimuli and maintains them for a short period of time in sensory stores, and therefore represents the earliest stages of sensory memory. See http://www.dissertationen.unizh.ch/2004/gaab/Gaabthesis.pdf If stored long-term it acquires the status of mental REPRESENTATION - or a mental image related to the sensorial modality involved in its perception. By the way, a linguistic sign is defined as an association between an acoustic image and a meaning attached to it through convention. Obviously, the representations that our cognitive system elaborates, categorizes, and puts into relations, are not to be reduced to mirror-images of material reality. Let's not fall into naive empiricism. >Am I now "thinking" the 'sounds'; thinking 'about' the sounds? >When someone speaks to me, I almost immediately replay what they are >saying picking out the key aspects / features creating a hierarchy of >dealing with ideas which are to be handled in a quasi-sequential fashion, >Or is this what is partially meant by 'cognition'? Not partially but entirely (unless you have a definition of cognition as being restricted to conscious mental operations). Best to all, Branka ___________________ Branka Zei Pollermann Dr. Phil. Psychologue Psychiatrie de Liaison Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève 51 Bvd. De la Cluse, 1205 Genève tél. : 0041 22 382 48 81 Portable : 0041 79 203 92 17 ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. **********************************************************************