By this way of thinking, learning to aud, like learning to read, involves the learning of a decoding activity-decoding the information in the speech stream into internal articulatory programs. The auder must then convert the articulatory programs into conceptualizations, which has the effect of storing semantic information in long-term memory. If rehearsal of the conceptualization or articulating programs is accomplished, more information can be stored in long term memory for immediate recall, or even longer-term retention of semantic information.

The opportunity for rehearsal or other control processes in short-term memory is restricted in the case of auding due to the nature of the speech display. For instance, in auding a lecture, in person or recorded on tape, the auder must aud at the pace set by the speaker. If this pace is rapid, little time for rehearsal is available. Also, if there is no opportunity for questioning or for having messages repeated, there is less chance that unfamiliar material can be assimilated into prior knowledge structures.

Thus, the transient nature and lack of referability of the spoken display in many auding situations (such as lectures, tests of "listening", and radio or television broadcasts) may stress the information-processing capabilities of the short-term memory control system, and produce less than maximal information storage by the auder. These factors are factors affecting the listening process, and hence the auding process. They may be overcome by improving the referability of the display: by permitting the asking of questions as a lecture progresses; by letting students ask for repeats of questions during testing-or better yet, by providing students with individual tape play-back machines and letting them present the information at an acceptable pace, and with as much replaying as needed, to listen to the message satisfactorily.

However, if a person lacks languaging skill (e.g., is unable to decode the English speech into articulating programs, and then derive conceptualizations there from), as an English-as-a-second-language student would, or lacks vocabulary and/or skill in conceptualizing, as a marginally literate adult would, then improving the referability of the display is not likely to suffice. In these cases, auding, not listening, is the major problem. The remedy for such problems is not as easy as that for overcoming the referability (listening) problem. Rather, long periods of training will probably be required to build requisite languaging and conceptualizing capabilities. For this reason, it is important that so-called "listening" tests be constructed and administered to identify major difficulties as listening or auding problems, or, if interactions occur, what factors are predominant in the interactions.