Large-Scale Analysis of Auditory Segregation Behavior Crowdsourced via a Smartphone App

Area of Science:

• Auditory neuroscience
• Psychoacoustics
• Human perception

Background:

• The human auditory system can isolate sounds in complex environments.
• This ability, crucial for understanding speech, declines with age and hearing loss.
• Previous lab studies validated a 'stochastic figure-ground' stimulus for auditory scene analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate auditory scene analysis using a large-scale smartphone app.
• To compare app-based data with controlled laboratory psychophysical findings.
• To assess the feasibility of using mobile technology for auditory research.

Main Methods:

• A modified 'cocktail party' paradigm was implemented as a game in a smartphone app.
• Data were collected from 5,148 diverse participants via the app.
• Performance in detecting target sounds within a 'stochastic figure-ground' stimulus was measured.

Main Results:

• App-based target detection performance was robust and consistent with prior laboratory studies.
• Large-scale data collection from diverse populations was successfully achieved.
• Smartphone app methodology proved effective for auditory behavioral research.

Conclusions:

• Smartphone apps can effectively capture reliable, large-scale auditory behavioral data.
• This approach validates findings from controlled psychophysical studies.
• Mobile platforms offer a promising avenue for studying auditory perception and deficits.