RE: GG Radio documentaries a failure?

["St-Louis,Robert \[NCR\]" <Robert.St-Louis@EC.GC.CA>]

> Here's a thought.  When I was studying psychology in high school, the
> textbook made a point that when we are, say, at a party with many
> conversations going on simultaneously, that we are actually hearing all
of
> them.  We just choose to attend or focus on the one where the people
closest
> to us physically are speaking, but we are actually hearing all of them in
> the entire room.

Anne wrote:
I'm reply to your post while listening to the radio. If this were the
weekend, I would also have the TV on. A lot of people would see this and
refuse to accept that it's possible. (Once, my brother made me switch off
one radio because he couldn't believe that I was listening to two radios at
the same time -- while reading.)

My Response:
I think it's a well known fact that by their nature, women can divide their
attention and concentration more easily between different stimulii (eg.
radio, tv, reading, etc.).  Men typically will more easily focus on one (or
a few) such stimulii.  I am not sure what the reason is for this difference
- I speculate that perhaps it stems from the evolutionary maternal need to
tend for the babies/children, while also being on the lookout for external
dangers/risks.  My wife used to be able to keep an eye on the children while
reading a book, watching TV, and having the radio on in the background;  or,
talking on the phone while also watching TV and flipping through a magazine.
I was always amazed at that ability, and wondered why I couldn't do the
same, until I found out about this innate biological difference.  Anyways,
this is way off course in a Glenn Gould discussion forum, but perhaps
Glenn's psychological and personality makeup allowed him, like a lot of
women, to divide his attention easily between different voices, different
stimulli, etc.  Would such an ability allow him to more easily play certain
Bach pieces where several voices are intermingling together?  Perhaps women
respond better to his radio documentaries with the overlapping voices than
men do, generally speaking?