Which of the following best describes the difference between hearing and listening in the context of emotion processing?

• A. Listening refers only to the ability to detect sound waves, while hearing involves understanding emotional meaning.
• B. Hearing is a passive physiological process, while listening is an active process that involves interpreting and responding to emotional content.
• C. Hearing requires conscious effort to process emotions, whereas listening occurs automatically without attention.
• D. Hearing and listening are both passive processes that do not involve emotional interpretation.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the definitions of hearing and listening in psychological terms. Hearing is typically described as the passive, physiological process of perceiving sound waves through the ears.
2. Step 2: Recognize that listening is an active process that requires attention and cognitive effort. It involves not just detecting sounds but also interpreting and making sense of the information, including emotional content.
3. Step 3: Differentiate between passive and active processes. Hearing happens automatically without conscious effort, while listening requires focus and engagement to understand the emotional meaning behind sounds.
4. Step 4: Apply this understanding to emotion processing. Hearing allows us to detect emotional cues like tone or volume, but listening enables us to interpret these cues and respond appropriately.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the best description is that hearing is a passive physiological process, whereas listening is an active process involving interpretation and response to emotional content.