The purpose of this study was to determine whether more or less comprehension occurred on the part of the human receiver when information was transmitted in a verbalized, compressed, repetitive manner through the auditory channel in the same unit of time necessary for one "normal" transmission. A research hypothesis was developed which stated that increasingly higher rates of compressed speech have differential effects on listening comprehension when the unit of time spent on learning is held constant. Three null hypothesis were then formulated to test the research hypothesis: (1) Comprehension does not change when the rate of words per minute increases; (2) Comprehension does not change when learning time is held constant; and (3) Comprehension does not change when both learning time and listening ability are held constant. The experimental subjects were 150 sophomore English students. A 639 word passage was taped initially at a "normal" rate of 152 wpm. This tape was then compressed to rates of 304 and 456 wpm through a Modified Tempo-Regulator. The Brown-Carlsen Listening Comprehension Test was administered to all experimental subjects to determine their individual degree of listening ability. All three null hypotheses were rejected. It was concluded that listening comprehension decreases as the rate of words per minute increases. (Author/CK)