This study investigates how different factors affect listening comprehension in both first and second language listeners. It focuses on how the identity of the speaker and the listener's memory span influence understanding. The study aims to explore how people comprehend lectures in real university settings, considering the phenomenon of Reverse Linguistic Stereotyping (RLS), where listeners attribute an accent based on speaker background information.

Participants will listen to 8 experimental texts with varied accent expectations. They will answer questions focusing on details and main ideas to evaluate different hypotheses about listening comprehension. The study includes three groups: white American listeners, Chinese students, and Korean students, to see how bias and familiarity affect understanding.

• Who can participate: Participants must be undergraduate students in the United States with no experience living abroad for more than 3 months. They should not have a history of hearing or speech disorders that required speech therapy.
• Study details: Participants will listen to lectures and answer questions about them. They will be grouped based on their background to assess how different factors affect their listening comprehension.