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Discrimination and identification of azimuth using spectral shape
Daniel E Shub1, Suzanne P Carr, Yunmi Kong
1Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology Program, Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. dshub@sas.upenn.edu
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|December 3, 2008
Summary
This study investigated sound localization using only one ear. Results show that hearing-impaired listeners did not benefit from their monaural experience in these sound localization tasks.
Area of Science:
- Auditory perception
- Psychoacoustics
- Acoustic signal processing
Background:
- Sound localization is crucial for auditory scene analysis.
- Monaural (one-ear) sound localization abilities are less understood than binaural (two-ear) abilities.
- Head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) are essential for simulating sound source locations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure monaural minimum audible angle (MAA) and absolute identification (AI) of sound source locations.
- To compare the performance of normal-hearing listeners with effectively monaural listeners (those with unilateral hearing loss).
- To investigate the relationship between monaural azimuthal discrimination and spectral-shape discrimination.
Main Methods:
- Experiments involved presenting roving-level, fixed-spectral-shape stimuli processed with nonindividualized HRTFs.
- Listeners performed MAA and AI tasks in the frontal horizontal plane.
- Feedback was provided after each trial to maximize correct responses.
Main Results:
- Both normal-hearing and effectively monaural listeners performed similarly, indicating no benefit from prior monaural experience.
- Average root-mean-squared deviation was 35 degrees, with an average bias of 2 degrees.
- Best monaural MAAs were under 5 degrees, aligning with HRTF analysis suggesting a link to spectral-shape discrimination.
Conclusions:
- Monaural experience in listeners with unilateral hearing impairment does not enhance performance on monaural sound localization tasks.
- Monaural azimuthal discrimination appears to be closely related to spectral-shape discrimination.
- These findings contribute to understanding the mechanisms of auditory spatial perception with limited auditory input.
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