Anticipation

Someone waiting for a sound to appear will "pre-hear" – that is, to actually hear the expected signal, even if no sound has been emitted. This effect can be observed either in the expectation of an unknown sound, every rustling then becoming a potential sign, or in familiar situations where the listener anticipates a foreseeable (or hearable) sonic context. If anamnesis is most often an involuntary phenomenon, anticipation, on the other hand, may appear when one expects too much. We may dread a sound, or we may be eager to hear it, but either way, that sound seems to be heard without being actually emitted. The anticipation effect is often caused by a specific expectation regarding the sound that is about to appear. It happens as if the desire of the event was creating its own sound envelope. When a child is barely asleep, for instance, the parents listening for crying may have the impression of constantly hearing it. This effect can also be illustrated by the expectation of a car or train passing: every little murmur or noise is interpreted as a precursor to the expected sound. In war, the threat of bombing can also create strong anticipation effects.