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Effect on directional hearing in hunters using amplifying (level dependent) hearing protectors.
Erik Borg1, Christina Bergkvist, Dan Bagger-Sjöbäck
1Ahlséns forskningsinstitut, Orebro, Sweden.
Summary
New all-in-the-ear protectors minimally impact sound localization for hunters, unlike other ear protection types. This study evaluated how different hunting ear protectors affect the ability to locate sounds in realistic scenarios.
Area of Science:
- Auditory science
- Acoustics
- Human factors engineering
Background:
- Traditional ear protectors hinder hunting activities and impair sound localization.
- Level-dependent protectors offer some improvement but still affect directional hearing.
- A novel all-in-the-ear protector design shows potential for better sound localization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of all-in-the-ear protectors on sound localization ability in hunters.
- To compare the sound localization performance with all-in-the-ear protectors against other types of hearing protection.
Main Methods:
- An experimental laboratory study was conducted with eleven normal-hearing hunters.
- Realistic sounds (gunshot, twig snap, footstep, dog bark) were presented from 12 loudspeakers in an anechoic chamber.
- Four listening conditions were tested: no protection, level-dependent ear muffs, behind-the-ear protectors, and all-in-the-ear protectors.
Main Results:
- Unprotected hearing yielded the best sound localization results.
- All-in-the-ear protectors demonstrated slightly, non-significantly poorer localization compared to no protection.
- Regular ear muffs and behind-the-ear protectors resulted in significantly worse sound localization.
Conclusions:
- All-in-the-ear protectors effectively preserve sound localization ability compared to other tested protectors.
- Other protectors, particularly ear muffs and behind-the-ear types, caused localization confusion, especially in the transversal plane.
- Sound localization performance varied significantly across the four tested realistic hunting sounds.
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