Final answer:
The phase of the listening process in which a listener focuses on a specific sound or message being received from the environment is called sound localization. Sound localization is achieved by calculating the interaural time difference and the interaural intensity difference. The left ear receives the sound microseconds before the right ear, creating an interaural time difference, and the sound is louder in the left ear due to the blocking of sound waves by the head, resulting in an interaural intensity difference.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phase of the listening process in which a listener focuses on a specific sound or message being received from the environment is called sound localization.
Sound localization is achieved by the brain calculating the interaural time difference and the interaural intensity difference. If a sound source is slightly to the left of the listener, the sound will arrive at the left ear microseconds before it arrives at the right ear, creating an interaural time difference. Additionally, the sound will be slightly louder in the left ear than in the right ear due to the blocking of sound waves by the head, resulting in an interaural intensity difference.