-
Hearing Research Aug 1988Psychophysical data on unspecialized mammals commonly used in auditory research were compiled from the literature, and an attempt was made to compare the hearing... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Review
Psychophysical data on unspecialized mammals commonly used in auditory research were compiled from the literature, and an attempt was made to compare the hearing capacities of these species with man. Binaural hearing and sound localization were not considered. The most complete psychoacoustic data exist for chinchilla, cat, various primates, and the mouse. The existing data include audiograms, frequency and intensity discrimination thresholds, critical masking ratios, critical bandwidths, temporal summation functions at threshold, psychophysical tuning curves, gap detection thresholds, temporal modulation transfer functions, temporal discriminations, and auditory filter shapes. In general, the qualitative forms of most all psychoacoustic functions for these mammals are similar to those for man, and there is little reason to believe that the mechanisms underlying these capacities are different across mammals. Although the discriminative capacities of humans are generally more acute than those of non-humans, the database on the capacities of non-humans is not yet sufficient for systematic comparisons across species to be made with confidence.
Topics: Animals; Auditory Perception; Cats; Chinchilla; Gerbillinae; Guinea Pigs; Haplorhini; Hearing; Mice; Psychoacoustics
PubMed: 3139607
DOI: 10.1016/0378-5955(88)90009-3 -
British Medical Bulletin 2002Recent developments in the field of psychoacoustics are presented, focusing on areas which have application in the diagnosis and understanding of impaired hearing.... (Review)
Review
Recent developments in the field of psychoacoustics are presented, focusing on areas which have application in the diagnosis and understanding of impaired hearing. Cochlear hearing loss often results in a loss of the compressive non-linearity that operates in normal ears; this loss is probably the main cause of loudness recruitment. Forward masking can be used as a tool to assess the strength of cochlear compression in human listeners. Hearing impairment can sometimes be associated with complete loss of function of inner hair cells over a certain region of the cochlea, resulting in a 'dead region'. Two psychoacoustic methods for detecting dead regions and defining their limits are described. The implications of the results for fitting hearing aids are discussed. Finally, the effect of cochlear hearing loss on the perception of rapid sequences of sounds (stream segregation) is described.
Topics: Auditory Perception; Hair Cells, Auditory; Hearing Loss; Humans; Psychoacoustics; Speech Perception
PubMed: 12324388
DOI: 10.1093/bmb/63.1.121 -
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience Jan 2021Musical expertise has been shown to positively influence high-level speech abilities such as novel word learning. This study addresses the question whether low-level...
Musical expertise has been shown to positively influence high-level speech abilities such as novel word learning. This study addresses the question whether low-level enhanced perceptual skills causally drives successful novel word learning. We used a longitudinal approach with psychoacoustic procedures to train 2 groups of nonmusicians either on pitch discrimination or on intensity discrimination, using harmonic complex sounds. After short (approximately 3 hr) psychoacoustic training, discrimination thresholds were lower on the specific feature (pitch or intensity) that was trained. Moreover, compared to the intensity group, participants trained on pitch were faster to categorize words varying in pitch. Finally, although the N400 components in both the word learning phase and in the semantic task were larger in the pitch group than in the intensity group, no between-group differences were found at the behavioral level in the semantic task. Thus, these results provide mixed evidence that enhanced perception of relevant features through a few hours of acoustic training with harmonic sounds causally impacts the categorization of speech sounds as well as novel word learning. These results are discussed within the framework of near and far transfer effects from music training to speech processing.
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Brain Waves; Electroencephalography; Evoked Potentials; Female; Humans; Male; Pitch Perception; Psychoacoustics; Speech Perception
PubMed: 32985943
DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01629 -
European Journal of Neurology Oct 2020Hidden hearing loss has been reported in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease; however, the auditory-processing deficits have not been widely explored. We...
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Hidden hearing loss has been reported in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease; however, the auditory-processing deficits have not been widely explored. We investigated the psychoacoustic and neurophysiological aspects of auditory processing in patients with CMT disease type 1A (CMT1A) and type 2A (CMT2A).
METHODS
A total of 43 patients with CMT1A and 15 patients with CMT2A were prospectively enrolled. All patients with CMT disease had normal sound-detection ability by using pure-tone audiometry. Spectral-ripple discrimination, temporal modulation detection and auditory frequency-following response were compared between CMT1A, CMT2A and control groups.
RESULTS
Although all participants had normal audiograms, patients with CMT disease had difficulty understanding speech in noise. The psychoacoustic auditory processing was somewhat different depending on the underlying pathophysiology of CMT disease. Patients with CMT1A had degraded auditory temporal and spectral processing. Patients with CMT2A had no reduced spectral resolution, but they showed further reduced temporal resolution than the patients with CMT1A. The amplitudes of the frequency-following response were reduced in patients with CMT1A and CMT2A, but the neural timing remained relatively intact.
CONCLUSIONS
When we first assessed the neural representation to speech at the brainstem level, the grand average brainstem responses were reduced in both patients with CMT1A and CMT2A compared with healthy controls. As the psychoacoustic aspects of auditory dysfunctions in CMT1A and CMT2A were somewhat different, it is necessary to consider future auditory rehabilitation methods based on their pathophysiology.
Topics: Auditory Perception; Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease; Humans; Neurophysiology; Psychoacoustics
PubMed: 32478888
DOI: 10.1111/ene.14370 -
Anesthesia and Analgesia May 2016
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Humans; Oximetry; Pitch Perception; Psychoacoustics
PubMed: 27101486
DOI: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000001203 -
Behavior Research Methods Mar 2024Anonymous web-based experiments are increasingly used in many domains of behavioral research. However, online studies of auditory perception, especially of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Anonymous web-based experiments are increasingly used in many domains of behavioral research. However, online studies of auditory perception, especially of psychoacoustic phenomena pertaining to low-level sensory processing, are challenging because of limited available control of the acoustics, and the inability to perform audiometry to confirm normal-hearing status of participants. Here, we outline our approach to mitigate these challenges and validate our procedures by comparing web-based measurements to lab-based data on a range of classic psychoacoustic tasks. Individual tasks were created using jsPsych, an open-source JavaScript front-end library. Dynamic sequences of psychoacoustic tasks were implemented using Django, an open-source library for web applications, and combined with consent pages, questionnaires, and debriefing pages. Subjects were recruited via Prolific, a subject recruitment platform for web-based studies. Guided by a meta-analysis of lab-based data, we developed and validated a screening procedure to select participants for (putative) normal-hearing status based on their responses in a suprathreshold task and a survey. Headphone use was standardized by supplementing procedures from prior literature with a binaural hearing task. Individuals meeting all criteria were re-invited to complete a range of classic psychoacoustic tasks. For the re-invited participants, absolute thresholds were in excellent agreement with lab-based data for fundamental frequency discrimination, gap detection, and sensitivity to interaural time delay and level difference. Furthermore, word identification scores, consonant confusion patterns, and co-modulation masking release effect also matched lab-based studies. Our results suggest that web-based psychoacoustics is a viable complement to lab-based research. Source code for our infrastructure is provided.
Topics: Humans; Psychoacoustics; Hearing; Auditory Perception; Audiometry; Internet; Auditory Threshold; Acoustic Stimulation
PubMed: 37326771
DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02101-9 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jan 2023Aeroacoustic noise in multiple rotor drones has been increasingly recognized as a crucial issue, while noise reduction is normally associated with a trade-off between...
Aeroacoustic noise in multiple rotor drones has been increasingly recognized as a crucial issue, while noise reduction is normally associated with a trade-off between aerodynamic performance and sound suppression as well as sound quality improvement. Here, we propose an integrated methodology to evaluate both aeroacoustics and psychoacoustics of a single propeller. For a loop-type propeller, an experimental investigation was conducted in association with its aerodynamic and acoustic characteristics via a hover stand test in an anechoic chamber; the psychoacoustic performance was then examined with psychoacoustic annoyance models to evaluate five psychoacoustic metrics comprising loudness, fluctuation strength, roughness, sharpness, and tonality. A comparison of the figure of merit (FM), the overall sound pressure level (OASPL) and psychoacoustic metrics was undertaken among a two-blade propeller, a four-blade propeller, the loop-type propeller, a wide chord loop-type propeller, and a DJI Phantom III propeller, indicating that the loop-type propeller enables a remarkable reduction in OASPL and a noticeable improvement in sound quality while achieving comparable aerodynamic performance. Furthermore, the psychoacoustic analysis demonstrates that the loop-type propeller can improve the psychological response to various noises in terms of the higher-level broadband and lower-level tonal noise components. It is thus verified that the integrated evaluation methodology of aeroacoustics and psychoacoustics can be a useful tool in the design of low-noise propellers in association with multirotor drones.
Topics: Psychoacoustics; Noise; Sound; Acoustics; Benchmarking
PubMed: 36767321
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20031955 -
Perception & Psychophysics Feb 1986
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Humans; Psychoacoustics; Sound
PubMed: 3725541
DOI: 10.3758/bf03211488 -
The Journal of the Acoustical Society... Dec 2022This paper reviews methods and considerations for measuring tinnitus in clinical trials designed to evaluate treatment options using investigational medicinal products.... (Review)
Review
This paper reviews methods and considerations for measuring tinnitus in clinical trials designed to evaluate treatment options using investigational medicinal products. Tests applied in tinnitus-related research and clinical practice have their own measurement purposes, advantages, and limitations. If the characteristics of each test method are well understood, the test can be effectively used in clinical trials. For the accuracy of clinical trial results, it is necessary to use a test tool with verified validity, reliability, and sensitivity. If a test tool that is likely to have high variability in the same individual is required in the clinical trial, strategies to increase the reliability of the test, such as repeat measurements, may also be needed. In addition, a test tool that meets the purpose of the clinical trial should be selected. For example, the tinnitus questionnaire is appropriate to assess reactions to tinnitus, and measurements of tinnitus loudness or pitch are appropriate to evaluate the psychoacoustic characteristics of tinnitus. In conclusion, the use of validated test tools that meet the purpose of the trial will help with the accuracy of the clinical trial results.
Topics: Humans; Tinnitus; Reproducibility of Results; Psychoacoustics; Surveys and Questionnaires; Pharmaceutical Preparations
PubMed: 36586833
DOI: 10.1121/10.0014699 -
Otology & Neurotology : Official... Sep 2016Chronic tinnitus is the persistent sensation of hearing a sound that exists only inside the head. The prevalence of tinnitus in adults in the United States is estimated... (Review)
Review
Chronic tinnitus is the persistent sensation of hearing a sound that exists only inside the head. The prevalence of tinnitus in adults in the United States is estimated at 10 to 15%. For about 20% of these individuals the tinnitus is significantly bothersome. Although myriad therapies for tinnitus are offered (often at significant cost), most are not evidence based. Difficulty in the assessment and further development of interventions for tinnitus stems from the limitations of techniques used to evaluate these interventions. Questionnaires are widely available to "measure" (tinnitus can only be indirectly measured) functional effects of tinnitus, such as difficulty sleeping and concentrating, and negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, and annoyance. Questionnaires have recently been documented for sensitivity to change in response to intervention (i.e., "responsiveness"). All of these questionnaires function well to assess the overall impact of tinnitus. The limitations mentioned pertain primarily to measures of tinnitus perception, which typically include the psychoacoustic measures of tinnitus loudness and pitch matches, tinnitus spectral content, minimum masking levels, and residual inhibition. These measures, which are obtained routinely in many clinics and as part of research studies, have not been validated for being diagnostic, prognostic, discriminative, or responsive. In order for these measures to become clinically meaningful, normative standards are needed, both for baseline measures and for repeated measures of tinnitus perception. Evidence-based intervention for tinnitus requires accurately measuring both the perception of, and reactions to, tinnitus.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Male; Perceptual Masking; Psychoacoustics; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tinnitus
PubMed: 27518136
DOI: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000001070