Cocktail party effect

The 'cocktail party effect' is a phenomenon where you can focus on one thing when there are lots of other things going on around you. Imagine you are at a 'cocktail party', a fancy gathering where there are lots of people talking and making noise. Even though there is a lot of noise and conversation around you, you can still focus in on the conversation of the person you are talking to. This ability to focus on something (like a conversation) when there are a lot of distractions around is called the 'cocktail party effect'.