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Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

The human brain perceives pitch through two primary mechanisms reflected in place theory and frequency theory. Each mechanism describes how sound waves are interpreted as specific pitches by the brain, offering insights into the intricate processes of auditory perception.
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by identifying...

Hearing

Hearing

When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.

The Cochlea

The Cochlea

The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.

Perception of Sound Waves

Perception of Sound Waves

The human ear is not equally sensitive to all frequencies in the audible range. It may perceive sound waves with the same pressure but different frequencies as having different loudness. Moreover, the perception of sound waves depends on the health of an individual's ears, which decays with age. The health of one's ears may also be affected by regular exposure to loud noises.
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Sound waves can be thought of as fluctuations in the pressure of a medium through which they propagate. Since the pressure also makes the medium's particles vibrate along its direction of motion, the waves can be modeled as the displacement of the medium's particles from their mean position.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 10, 2026

An Automated System for Sound Localization Testing in Hearing-Impaired Listeners

An Automated System for Sound Localization Testing in Hearing-Impaired Listeners

Published on: March 13, 2026

Localization of moving sound.

Stephan Getzmann¹, Jörg Lewald

¹Fakultät für Psychologie, Kognitions- und Umweltpsychologie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany. stephan.getzmann@ruhr-uni-bochum.de

Perception & Psychophysics

|November 21, 2007

Summary

Auditory representational momentum, a forward displacement of perceived sound location, was investigated. Findings suggest this phenomenon primarily occurs after motion ceases, not during, challenging prior hypotheses.

Area of Science:

Auditory perception
Spatial hearing
Psychoacoustics

Background:

The perceived location of a moving sound source is often displaced forward, in its direction of motion.
This phenomenon, known as auditory representational momentum, has been hypothesized to emerge during sound motion.

Purpose of the Study:

To test if auditory representational momentum emerges during the motion of a sound source or only after it ceases.
Investigate the temporal dynamics of auditory localization for moving sound targets.

Main Methods:

Subjects localized a moving acoustic target in a dark anechoic environment.
Localization judgments (relative or pointing) were made at different phases (initial, middle, final) of the motion trajectory.
Tactile stimuli cued subjects to determine the target's position at specific moments.

More Related Videos

Sound Source Localization Testing in Single-sided Deafness Following Bone Conduction Intervention

Sound Source Localization Testing in Single-sided Deafness Following Bone Conduction Intervention

Published on: December 20, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 10, 2026

An Automated System for Sound Localization Testing in Hearing-Impaired Listeners

An Automated System for Sound Localization Testing in Hearing-Impaired Listeners

Published on: March 13, 2026

Sound Source Localization Testing in Single-sided Deafness Following Bone Conduction Intervention

Sound Source Localization Testing in Single-sided Deafness Following Bone Conduction Intervention

Published on: December 20, 2024

Main Results:

In the initial motion phase, perceived sound position was displaced forward.
This forward displacement diminished as the motion progressed.
After the sound motion stopped, the final perceived position was again displaced in the direction of motion.

Conclusions:

Auditory representational momentum appears to be specific to the final point of motion, not an emergent property during motion.
The results suggest that mental extrapolation of trajectory information may underlie this perceptual displacement in spatial hearing.