Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Loudness Perception”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,477 records · Page 82Linked to original sources

Note on stimulus error and the experienced subject in psychophysical research.

Experienced subjects participate in some psychophysical research. While they may be more responsive to experimental stimuli than naive subjects, they may not be immune from stimulus error, the tendency for subjects to bias their responses given known physical characteristics of the stimulus. A brief examination of the literature concerning processing of changing sound-level and visual spatial frequency may support this contention.

Human Experimentation↗

Effect of stimulus pulse duration and interstimulus interval on cross-modal matching of auditory and lingual vibrotactile stimuli.

Cross-modal matching functions for eight intensity levels of a 1000-Hz auditory stimulus and a 250-Hz lingual vibrotactile stimulus were obtained for two groups of subjects. Group 1 adjusted the vibrotactile stimulus to match the auditory stimulus, and Group 2 adjusted the auditory stimulus to match the vibrotactile stimulus. Stimulus-pulse durations and interstimulus intervals were varied over six experimental conditions for both groups. The variations in stimulus-pulse durations and interstimulus intervals had no appreciable effect on mean matching-function exponents for the two groups. A possible regression effect consistent with data from other psychophysical scaling studies was noted for matching functions of the two stimuli.

Adolescent↗

Lingual vibrotactile and auditory cross-modal matching: frequency effects.

5 subjects matched pairs of auditory and vibrotactile stimuli on intensity, making judgments of suprathreshold magnitudes. Slope values for the 100-Hz cross-modal lingual vibrotactile stimulus-standard frequency condition were steeper than those for 250- or 400-Hz conditions. Slope values became steeper at about 25- to 30-dB SL, so frequency seems an important parameter to control in such research.

Adult↗

Auditory psychophysical scaling exposure effects: magnitude estimation and cross-modal matching.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate possible effects of exposure upon suprathreshold psychological responses when auditory magnitude estimation and cross-modal matching with audition as the standard are conducted within the same experiment. Four groups of 10 subjects each whose over-all age range was 18 to 23 yr. were employed. During the cross-modal matching task the Groups 1 and 2 subjects adjusted a vibrotactile stimulus presented to the dorsal surface of the tongue and the Groups 3 and 4 subjects adjusted a vibrotactile stimulus presented to the thenar eminence of the right hand to match binaurally presented auditory stimuli. The magnitude-estimation task was conducted before the cross-modal matching task for Groups 1 and 3 and the cross-modal matching task was conducted before the magnitude-estimation task for Groups 2 and 4. The psychophysical methods of magnitude estimation and cross-modal matching showed no effect of one upon the other when used in the same experiment.

Adolescent↗

Continuous noise, intermittent noise, and annoyance.

In a within-subjects design, 18 subjects listened to white noise, the intensity of which was controlled by themselves. They were instructed to choose the intensity they experienced as "clearly annoying." Three kinds of white noise were used: continuous, intermittent regular, and intermittent irregular. In the two intermittent conditions, the proportion of time with the noise on was 50%. The duration of on- and off-periods in the regular condition was 1.15 sec.; in the irregular condition, it varied between 0.25 and 1.65 sec. The subjects chose their "clearly annoying" level three times for each noise type. The results showed that the mean level chosen was 83.9 dB for continuous, 90 dB for intermittent regular, and 89.6 dB for intermittent irregular noise. Pairwise comparisons indicated a significant difference between continuous noise and each of the two intermittent noises while there was no difference between the two intermittent noises. The results are interpreted as indicating that noise-induced annoyance may be a function of the over-all amount of noise rather than the mere presence or absence of intermittency, at least when no concurrent demanding task is performed and when the required annoyance level is set by the subjects themselves. The results further showed that the intensity chosen by the subjects correlated negatively with scores from Weinstein's Noise Sensitivity Scale while the intensity chosen was unrelated to extraversion or neuroticism scores as measured by Eysenck Personality Inventory.

Adult↗

Effects of noise on a simple visual attentional task.

15 male and 15 female subjects scanned an array of lights during one of three types of white-noise conditions (continuous, 1-Hz pulse rate, and 10-Hz pulse rate) at 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90 dB. Detection of light stimuli increased under the lower intensities and decreased under the higher intensities in the continuous and the 1-Hz pulse-rate conditions, but decreased as intensity increased in 10-Hz pulse-rate noise. Detection of peripheral stimuli was greatest during continuous noise and lowest during 10-Hz pulse-rate noise. These data are interpreted in terms of changes in attentional focus which result from altered levels of arousal.

Adolescent↗

Effects of stimulus context on magnitude estimations and category ratings of perceived loudness--the spacing of intensity intervals.

Effects of stimulus context on magnitude estimations and on category ratings were examined for a range of stimulus intensities of a 1-kHz tone. The stimuli were distributed in equal-interval steps of energy so they formed a perceptual cluster of high-intensity tones with a perceptual outlier at the lowest intensity. According to the Invariance Principle, the shape of the response function should not be affected by the distribution of stimulus intensities. However, neither magnitude estimations nor category ratings yielded the linear functions predicted from the Invariance Principle when plotted on log-log axes. Instead, both procedures yielded concave-upward response functions for the group data as well as for the individual data sets of the six subjects. Moreover, unlike previous reports of a nonlinear relationship, we found a linear relationship between magnitude estimations and category ratings. Rather than implying an equivalence of the underlying sensory scales, however, our results may imply subjects used a similar attention strategy for both procedures. We consider some theoretical suggestions, including an attention-band concept, for modification of a multistage stimulus-response (S-R) transformation model.

Adult↗

Stimulus sequence and the exponent of the power function for loudness.

In two experiments, 15 and 13 subjects estimated the loudness of 12 sound-pressure levels (38-104 dB; 6-dB intervals) of a 1000-Hz tone by the method of magnitude estimation with a modulus assigned to the first stimulus presented. The tone duration was 1 sec. and the interstimulus interval was 6 sec. The presentation order was systematically ascending-descending in one experiment and balanced-irregular in the other. The results indicate that (1) loudness is a power function of sound pressure with an exponent of 0.60 for the systematic order and 0.29 for the irregular order. (2) For both the irregular and systematic orders, a large step-size (12 or 18 dB) between the stimulus on Trial n and on Trial n-1 (or n-3) results in a slight assimilation effect. This also occurs for the small step-size (6 dB) in the irregular order. (3) The size of momentary exponents (based on two points, Trials n and n-1 or n-3) depends on the sound pressures of successive stimuli, whether the steps are positive or negative, and whether the stimuli have been presented in systematic or irregular order. For positive steps, the momentary exponent is lower for a soft tone (Trial n) than for a loud tone, whereas for negative steps the momentary exponent is lower for a loud tone than for a soft tone. These effects ar more pronounced when these stimuli are presented in an irregular order. A relative judgment model is offered for magnitude estimation. It assumes that subjects judge the loudness of a stimulus in terms of three reference markers: the minimum and maximum sound pressures as well as the sound pressure of the previous stimulus.

Adult↗

Hearing threshold shift during auditory magnitude estimation.

The purpose of the present experiment was to determine the extent of hearing threshold shift that may occur during an auditory magnitude-estimation task involving stimulus intensities as great as 80 dB sensation level. Also, possible influences of hearing threshold shift on numerical magnitude-estimation responses and magnitude-function slopes were investigated. Results indicated that hearing threshold shift was insignificant (1-2 dB). Consistent small increases in numerical magnitude responses were observed on a magnitude-estimation task where hearing thresholds were retested between stimulus presentations versus a magnitude-estimation task where hearing thresholds were not retested. The stability of auditory magnitude functions across different conditions in the current investigation was in agreement with vibrotactile magnitude-scaling behavior observed by Fucci, et al. in 1989 and 1991. The over-all results supported the concept of an absolute, internal sensory-scaling mechanism being operable during magnitude estimation of auditory stimuli as discussed by Zwislocki and Goodman in 1980.

Adolescent↗

The effect of preference for rock music on magnitude-estimation scaling behavior in young adults.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of preference for rock music on magnitude-estimation scaling behavior in young adults. Two groups of young adults, 20 who liked rock music and 20 who did not like rock music, were tested. Subjects were instructed to assign numerical values to a random series of nine suprathreshold intensity levels of a 10-second sample of rock music. Analysis indicated that there was a difference in performance by the two groups of subjects on the magnitude-estimation scaling task. The subjects who liked rock music provided significantly lower mean numerical responses than the subjects who did not like rock music for all nine suprathreshold intensities.

Adolescent↗

Cross-modality matching in memory psychophysics: brightness and loudness.

Performance of subjects in tasks involving estimation of remembered magnitude and cross-modality matching of remembered magnitude for brightness and loudness stimuli was examined in two experiments. Subjects first learned nonsense syllable names associated with exemplars of five levels of brightness and exemplars of five levels of loudness. The stimuli were then removed and one of the nonsense syllable names was given by the experimenter. The subject formed an image of what the stimulus denoted by that name looked or sounded like and gave a judgment of remembered magnitude of that stimulus based upon the intensity portrayed in the image. In Exp. 1 subjects also completed a cross-modality matching task in which a stimulus in one dimension was shown, and subjects then estimated the magnitude that a stimulus in the other dimension would have to possess to match the intensity of the perceived stimulus. Performance was compared with that of a perceptual control group. In Exp. 2 subjects also completed a cross-modality matching task in which they were given the nonsense syllable name of a stimulus from one dimension, formed a vivid image of what the stimulus denoted by that name looked or sounded like, formed an image of a stimulus from the other dimension that possessed the same portrayed intensity as the named stimulus from the first dimension, and then estimated the intensity of the second (unnamed) stimulus. The power function offers an appropriate description of the responses on both the remembered magnitude and the cross-modality matching tasks. Implications for theories of imagery and psychophysics are discussed.

Adult↗

Effect of preference for rock music on magnitude-production scaling behavior in young adults: a validation.

The purpose of the presence study was to examine the effect of preference for rock music on magnitude-production scaling behavior in young adults as an attempt to validate further the 1993 magnitude-estimation scaling results obtained by Fucci, Harris, Petrosino, and Banks. Two groups of young adults, 20 who liked rock music and 20 who disliked rock music, were tested. Subjects were instructed to adjust the intensity of a 10-sec. sample of rock music in response to seven written stimuli presented in random order. Analysis indicated that there was a significant difference in performance by the two groups of subjects on the magnitude-production scaling task. Those subjects who liked rock music adjusted the intensity of the music to higher levels than did the subjects who disliked rock music.

Adolescent↗

Effects of gender and listeners' preference on magnitude-estimation scaling of rock music.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of gender and listener preference on magnitude-estimation scaling of rock music. Four groups of young adults were tested: 14 women who liked rock music, 14 women who disliked rock music, 14 men who liked rock music, and 14 men who disliked rock music. Subjects were instructed to assign numerical values to a random series of nine suprathreshold intensity levels of a 10-sec. sample of rock music. Analysis indicated that there was no difference in scaling performance between women and men. There was a difference in scaling performance between the group of women who liked rock music and the group of women who disliked rock music. There was no difference in the way the two groups of men performed the scaling task. These results suggest that men and women perform magnitude-estimation scaling of rock music similarly. Women, however, allow preference to influence how they choose numbers during magnitude-estimation scaling tasks whereas men do not.

Adolescent↗

Effect of personality on magnitude-estimation scaling of complex auditory stimuli.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of the personality trait of extraversion/introversion on magnitude-estimation scaling of complex auditory stimuli. Two groups of subjects, 10 who liked rock music (M age = 22.4 yr.) and 10 who disliked rock music (M age = 21.9 yr.), were tested. Subjects were instructed to assign numerical values to a random series of nine suprathreshold intensity levels of a 10-sec. sample of rock music. Each subject was given the Eysenck Personality Inventory, a test designed to measure the personality trait of extraversion/introversion. Statistical analyses indicated that the personality trait of extraversion/introversion did not appear to have an effect on the way the subjects scaled the rock-music stimulus.

Adolescent↗

Note on the relationship between loudness and annoyance.

Contradictory results are often encountered when different groups are asked to rate loudness using the method of magnitude estimation, especially when scaling complex auditory stimuli. This can be explained by subjects' inability to separate perceived loudness accurately from perceived annoyance. In addition, subjects are not uniformly influenced by these two perceptual attributes; the individual's preference for or against the stimulus in question also affects the scaling behavior.

Attention↗

Language familiarity in magnitude-estimation scaling of loudness by young adults.

The purpose was to examine the effect of language familiarity on magnitude-estimation scaling of loudness by young adults. Two groups of subjects participated in this study. Group 1 of 20 subjects (M age = 23.95 yr.) were familiar with English and not familiar with Hindi. Group 2 of 20 subjects (M age = 24.30 yr.) were familiar with English as well as Hindi. Two separate magnitude-estimation scaling tasks were performed. On the first scaling task, an English sentence was used as the stimulus, and on the second scaling task, a Hindi sentence was used as the stimulus. Statistical analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the two groups in loudness judgments of the English and Hindi sentences. Subjects scaled the loudness of an unfamiliar language in the same manner as they scaled the loudness of a familiar language. The findings suggest that magnitude-estimation scaling is an effective measure of loudness whether the language being listened to is familiar to the listener.

Adult↗

Human EEG responses to classical music and simulated white noise: effects of a musical loudness component on consciousness.

The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the psychophysiological effects of music on human EEG. For this purpose, a sound modulator was developed which simulates the sound-pressure variations of a given piece of music by white noise (sim-music). Using this apparatus, the author tested the psychophysiological effects of music on human EEG. The electroencephalograms (EEG), electrocardiograms (ECG), and electrooculograms (EOG) of eight normal volunteers were recorded for a total of 21 min., 5 sec. per session for each subject under three sound conditions: silence for 5 min., two types of music (music) or two types of simulated noise (sim-music) for 11 min., 5 sec., followed by silence for another 5 min. Each subject was exposed to a total of 10 music and 10 sim-music conditions. At the low consciousness level (drowsiness, Stage S1), higher delta component power densities were observed with sim-music than with music. Thus, even in the same Stage S1, entire physiological consciousness levels may be higher when listening to music than to sim-music. While listening to music, many subjects reported that they felt pleasantly relaxed or comfortable. However, with the sim-music, they reported feeling unpleasantly weary and sleepy. It seems that the mental set toward two sound conditions differed greatly for many subjects. In Stage S1, the differences in EEG slow components showed that the differences in consciousness had a physiological aspect and indicated differences in mental set toward both sound conditions and mental activity during the listening conditions.

Adult↗

Harmonic relationship between preferred tempi and heart rate.

Since people tend to prefer musical tempi ranging from 70 to 100 beats per minute, cyclic physiological response like heart rate is considered on of the factors affected by tempo preference. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between preferred tempi and heart rate. Subjects were instructed to find their favorite tempi while their hart rates were being measured. The presented tone stimulus was 440 Hz, 60 dB pressure of pure tone, and the presented tempo varied from 10 to 300 cycles per minute. The relationship between heart rate and preferred tempo was examined to calculate the density function of ratios of preferred tempi to heart rate. This density function indicated that preferred tempi were distributed mostly one, one and a half, and two times as fast as heart rate. This finding indicated preferred tempi had a simple harmonic relationship to heart rate.

Adult↗