Different listening training methods exist, which are based on the assumption that people can be trained to process incoming sound more effectively. It is often distinguished between the terms hearing (= passive reception of sound) and listening (= active process of tuning in to those sounds we wish to receive). Listening training methods claim to benefit a wide variety of people, e.g. people having learning disabilities, developmental delay or concentration problems. Sound therapists report about improved hearing/ listening curves following listening training programs. No independent research study has confirmed these results using standardized hearing test measures. Dr. Alfred Tomatis, a French ear nose throat doctor, developed the Tomatis listening training in the 1950s. The principles of the Tomatis method are described. A literature review has been conducted to investigate, whether the Tomatis method is based on assumptions, which scientifically hold. The results of the literature study are discussed. A research study is proposed, in which the effects of the Tomatis method on hearing will be investigated using both conventional hearing threshold measurements and objective measures such as otoacoustic emissions.
