Listening Styles: Biological or Psychological Differences?

Exploring the Relationship Between Listening Style and Need for Cognition

“…As previously discussed, Action listeners tend to exhibit behaviors such as outline-listening, behaviors which reflect their concerns with clearly organized, direct messages. Sex differences have also been reported on LS, with men generally scoring higher than women (Johnston et al, 2000;Weaver et al, 1996).…”

“…Similarly, Weaver and Kirtley (1995) found this listening orientation positively associated with expressions of sympathy and empathy, and Chesebro (1999) found it related to conversational sensitivity. Previous studies suggest that women preference People listening (Johnston et al, 2000;Watson et al, 1995;Weaver et al, 1996).…”

“…Engaging in "communicative time management" (Worthington, 2001), these listeners have a tendency to interrupt others and may discourage wordy speakers, whom they perceive as wasting time . Previous LS research suggests that men preference Time listening (Johnston et al, 2000;Weaver et al, 1996).…”

“…Myers-Briggs types, and neuroticism (Bodie & Villaume, 2003;Johnston, Weaver, Watson, & Barker, 2000;Sargent, Fitch-Hauser, & Weaver, 1997;Weaver, 1998;Weaver, Watson, & Barker, 1996;Worthington, 2003). One robust personality trait that has been previously identified with how individuals process information is need for cognition (Cacioppo & Petty, 1982;Tidwell, Sadowski, & Pate, 2000).…”

Listening Engagement: Intersecting Theoretical Perspectives

“…As the listener creates meaning, the "degree of congruence between the cognitions of a listener and the cognitions of a source" (Mulanax and Powers, 2001, p. 70) yields listening fidelity (accuracy). Listening research demonstrates that many psychological variables -including listening styles (Johnson, Weaver, Watson, and Barker, 2000;Mullen and Narain, 2005;Worthington, 2004), apprehension (Schrodt and Wheeless, 2001), and perceptions (Ryan, Kwong See, Meneer, and Trovato, 1994) -influence the way listeners create their meaning from the listening experience. "Successful message reception … requires an understanding of the goals and intentions of the communicator as well as the literal implications of the message being transmitted," note Wyer and Adaval (2003, p. 292), confounded by the listener's purpose and expectations of the complexities of the communication.…”