cocktail party effect

noun

The ability (or the difficulty) of focusing one's attention on a single auditory source in a jumble of noises.

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Meanings

nouncocktail party effect (plural cocktail party effects)

plural cocktail party effects

  1. The ability (or the difficulty) of focusing one's attention on a single auditory source in a jumble of noises.

Origin

Suggesting a party where many groups of people are talking at the same time.

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Cite this entry
APA

cocktail party effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cocktail%20party%20effect

MLA

“cocktail party effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cocktail%20party%20effect. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cocktail party effect,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cocktail%20party%20effect.

Source: cocktail party effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.