Attraction

A phonotropic effect in which an emerging sound phenomenon attracts and polarizes attention, being conscious or not. The magnitude of this effect can range from fleeting comprehension to the complete mobilization of attention. In very busy streets, for instance, singers and musical groups try constantly to gain the attention of passersby. These sound situations exert a power of attraction precisely because they are in contrast with the ambient hubbub. When the acoustic horizons of different musicians overlap, there is no emergence effect, thus no attraction. A siren, which manifests itself exclusively in the sonic sphere and whose source often cannot be located, illustrates the attraction/repulsion duality that characterizes the emergence of certain sound events.