Abstract
The primary purpose of the present experiment was to test whether the binaural equal-loudness-ratio hypothesis (i.e., the loudness ratio between monaural and binaural tones presented at the same Sound Pressure Level, SPL, is independent of SPL) holds for hearing-impaired listeners with bilaterally symmetrical hearing losses. The outcome of this experiment provided a theoretical construct for modeling loudness-growth functions. A cross-modality matching task between string length and tones was used to measure three loudness functions for eight listeners: two monaural (left and right) and one binaural. A multiple linear regression was performed to test the significance of presentation mode (monaural vs binaural and left vs right), level, and their interaction. Results indicate that monaural loudness functions differ between the ears of two listeners. The interaction between presentation mode (binaural/monaural) and level was significant for one listener. Although significant, these differences were quite small. Generally, the binaural equal-loudness-ratio hypothesis appears to hold for hearing-impaired listeners. These data also indicate that loudness-growth functions in two ears of an individual are more similar than loudness-growth functions in ears from different listeners. Finally, it is demonstrated that loudness-growth functions can be constructed for individual listeners from binaural level difference for equal-loudness data.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Journal of the Acoustical Society of America |
Volume | 126 |
Issue number | 1 |
Pages (from-to) | 310-317 |
ISSN | 0001-4966 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2009 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Acoustic Stimulation
- Aged
- Auditory Threshold
- Ear
- Female
- Hearing Loss
- Humans
- Linear Models
- Loudness Perception
- Male
- Models, Biological
- Neuropsychological Tests
- Audio acoustics
- Audition
- Acoustic signal processing
- adult
- aged
- article
- auditory discrimination
- auditory stimulation
- auditory threshold
- binaural hearing
- clinical article
- female
- hearing
- hearing impairment
- hearing loss
- human
- loudness
- male
- measurement
- priority journal
- sound pressure
- Cross modality
- Equal-loudness-ratio hypothesis
- Growth functions
- Hearing loss
- Hearing-impaired listeners
- Level difference
- Loudness function
- Multiple linear regressions
- Presentation modes
- Sound pressure level
- MAGNITUDE ESTIMATION
- TONES
- FREQUENCY
- SUMMATION
- THRESHOLD
- GROWTH
- regression analysis
- binaural equal-loudness-ratio hypothesis
- cross-modality matching task
- loudness-growth function
- hearing impairment Hearing Disorders (MeSH) ear disease
- hearing loss Hearing Disorders (MeSH) nervous system disease, ear disease
- Primates Mammalia Vertebrata Chordata Animalia (Animals, Chordates, Humans, Mammals, Primates, Vertebrates) - Hominidae [86215] human common middle age, aged female, male
- 12502, Pathology - General
- 20006, Sense organs - Pathology
- 20506, Nervous system - Pathology
- 24500, Gerontology
- Human Medicine, Medical Sciences
- absolute threshold measurement clinical techniques
- multiple linear regression mathematical and computer techniques
- Methods and Techniques
- Neurology
- Otolaryngology