Lateralization of dichotic noise bursts: effect of onset and offset disparity

Sound image position associated with the interaural onset or offset disparity of a signal was quantified by a scaling procedure in three experiments. Lateralization cues derived from the steady-state portion of the broadband noise signal that would support a specific image position were minimized by the use of independent noise sources for each ear. Onset disparities produced lateralization toward the ear at which the sound was presented first, while offset disparity produced lateralization toward the ear at which the sound remained on longer. Disparity was systematically varied between 0 and 10 ms and for a given disparity, a greater shift in the sound image position was obtained when the disparity was at the onset rather than the offset. The duration of the shorter signal ranged from 2.5-100 ms and for either onset or offset disparity, the image of stimuli of long duration tended to remain near the center of the head, while those of shorter duration could be moved to more extreme positions. In an attempt to rule out dichotic loudness cues as a basis for the lateralization associated with offset disparity, stimuli were presented with equal energy at each ear. Image position for equal energy was virtually identical to that for equal sound pressure, suggesting that loudness differences are not mediating lateralization associated with offset disparity.