The Mechanics of Auditory Stream Segregation in Polytemporal Media: A Systematic Literature Review of Cognitive Load and Attentional Selection
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52152/RCR.V14.S7Keywords:
Auditory Stream Segregation, Polytemporal Media, Cognitive Load, Attentional Selection, Communication PsychologyAbstract
The polytemporal media requires the listener to follow more than one temporal order. This systematic literature review analyzes the role of auditory stream segregation in the facilitation, failure and overload of attention in the context of concurrent time structures in media soundtracks that contain speech, music, rhythm, ambience and interface cues. The goal is to bridge recent research in the fields of auditory scene analysis, cognitive load and selective auditory attention with communication and media research, where layered sound is a key element of communication but is seldom examined as a perceptual mechanism. Moreover, a systematic literature review method was used for the review and themes were analyzed through thematic analysis. Multidisciplinary databases, publisher platforms and open access indexes were searched, limiting the search to human listening studies and review articles that were relevant to stream segregation, attentional selection, listening effort and complex auditory scenes. The inclusion articles were 16 open access or openly available journal articles from the period 2019-2025. Four related mechanisms were identified in the review. The principal conclusion is that polytemporal media are aesthetically dense. They are auditory organization tests. A good design will direct the formation of streams, while a bad design will attract attention to fix the scene.
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