Certain, but incorrect: on the relation between subjective certainty and accuracy in sound localisation

Area of Science:

• Auditory perception
• Psychoacoustics
• Spatial hearing

Background:

• Research on sound localization has primarily focused on accuracy and precision.
• The subjective experience of certainty in spatial judgments has been largely overlooked.
• Understanding subjective certainty is crucial for a comprehensive model of auditory spatial perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how simulated monaural listening affects subjective certainty and accuracy of sound localization compared to binaural listening.
• To examine the relationship between subjective certainty and localization accuracy.
• To explore the temporal dynamics and stimulus-dependent modulation of subjective certainty.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments involving 40 participants localizing sounds from hidden speakers.
• Comparison of binaural and simulated monaural listening conditions.
• Collection of both objective localization responses and subjective certainty ratings per trial.

Main Results:

• Monaural listening significantly decreased both accuracy and subjective certainty compared to binaural listening.
• A dissociation between accuracy and certainty was observed during monaural listening (certainty without accuracy, and vice versa).
• Subjective certainty increased over time during monaural listening and varied with perceived sound location.

Conclusions:

• Listeners rapidly adjust their subjective confidence in sound localization under altered auditory conditions, even without feedback.
• Subjective certainty and localization accuracy can diverge, highlighting the complexity of auditory spatial mapping.
• This study emphasizes the importance of subjective certainty as a key component of spatial hearing research.