Final answer:
The phase of the listening process in which a listener focuses attention on a specific sound or message is selective attention.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phase of the listening process in which a listener focuses attention on a specific sound or message is selective attention.
Selective attention is the ability to concentrate on a particular stimulus while ignoring other stimuli. When a listener selectively attends to a specific sound or message, they are filtering out background noise or other distractions to focus on the desired sound or message.
For example, if you are in a noisy classroom and trying to listen to your teacher's voice, your selective attention would allow you to focus on your teacher's voice while ignoring the other sounds in the room.