An automatic test for frequency discrimination

Békésy audiometry has been applied to the determination of the frequency discrimination threshold. The automatic test for frequency discrimination is performed by means of a modified automatic audiometer at fixed frequencies, each administered for a duration of 60 s. The test involves the stimulus of a series of pairs of tone bursts of 500 ms duration: the frequency of one of the tone bursts (f0) is constant, while the other (f0 + delta f) gradually increases and decreases according to the subject's response. The tracings obtained facilitate the evaluation of the discrimination capability of the subject. The pattern obtained from a sample of normally hearing people was analysed in order to evaluate the precision of this procedure.