[Auditory aftereffects with approaching and withdrawing sound sources: dependence on trajectory and domain of...

The perceptual peculiarities of sound source withdrawing and approaching and their influence on auditory aftereffects were studied in the free field. The radial movement of the auditory adapting stimuli was imitated by two methods: (1) by oppositely directed simultaneous amplitude change of the wideband signals at two loudspeakers placed at 1.1 and 4.5 m from a listener; (2) by an increase or a decrease of the wideband noise amplitude of the impulses at one of the loudspeakers--whether close or distant. The radial auditory movement of test stimuli was imitated by using the first method of imitation of adapting stimuli movement. Nine listeners estimated the direction of test stimuli movement without adaptation (control) and after adaptation. Adapting stimuli were stationary, slowly moving with sound level variation of 2 dB and rapidly moving with variation of 12 dB. The percentage of "withdrawing" responses was used for psychometric curve construction. Three perceptual phenomena were found. The growing louder effect was shown in control series without adaptation. The effect was characterized by a decrease of the number of "withdrawing" responses and overestimation of test stimuli as approaching. The position-dependent aftereffects were noticed after adaptation to the stationary and slowly moving sound stimuli. The aftereffect was manifested as an increase of the number of "withdrawing" responses and overestimation of test stimuli as withdrawal. The effect was reduced with increase of the distance between the listener and the loudspeaker. Movement aftereffects were revealed after adaptation to the rapidly moving stimuli. Aftereffects were direction-dependent: the number of "withdrawal" responses after adaptation to approach increased, whereas after adaptation to withdrawal it decreased relative to control. The movement aftereffects were more pronounced at imitation of movement of adapting stimuli by the first method. In this case the listener could determine the starting and the finishing points of movement trajectory. Interaction of movement aftereffects with the growing louder effect was absent in all ways of presentation of adapting stimuli. With increase of distance to the source of adapting stimuli, there was observed a tendency for a decrease of aftereffect of approach and for an increase of aftereffect of withdrawal.