In the hierarchy, which level comes after Detection?

In the hierarchy, which level comes after Detection?

• A. Identification
• B. Comprehension
• C. Discrimination
• D. Detection

Answer: (C)

Detecting a sound is the basic, first skill—you simply notice that something audible is present. Once that level is achieved, the next step is discrimination: the ability to hear differences between sounds. This isn’t about naming what you hear yet; it’s about recognizing whether two sounds are the same or different, and noticing differences in features like voicing, duration, pitch, or intensity. This discrimination ability is what enables later steps. If you can’t tell sounds apart, you can’t reliably identify them or understand their place in a message. For example, distinguishing /b/ from /p/ or different vowel sounds is necessary before you can label what you heard and finally grasp the meaning. So the level that follows detection is discrimination, laying the perceptual groundwork for identification and comprehension.

Detecting a sound is the basic, first skill—you simply notice that something audible is present. Once that level is achieved, the next step is discrimination: the ability to hear differences between sounds. This isn’t about naming what you hear yet; it’s about recognizing whether two sounds are the same or different, and noticing differences in features like voicing, duration, pitch, or intensity.

This discrimination ability is what enables later steps. If you can’t tell sounds apart, you can’t reliably identify them or understand their place in a message. For example, distinguishing /b/ from /p/ or different vowel sounds is necessary before you can label what you heard and finally grasp the meaning. So the level that follows detection is discrimination, laying the perceptual groundwork for identification and comprehension.