Theory about listening has been strongly affected by methodological orientations and institutional pressures. It would help if researchers spent more time on the objects of study rather than method. Traditional listening research has confused listening with general cognitive abilities, such as IQ. Studying listening as memory is a tempting alternative, but carries with it its own problems. Listening should be considered as a broad field rather than a single ability or skill. Some alternatives might include listening and schemas, the relationship between listening and reading, and behaviors associated with listening. (Contains 2 tables and 5 footnotes.)