Effects of instructional set on the comfortable loudness range

Ten normal-hearing young adult subjects measured their Comfortable Loudness Ranges (CLRs) using two instructional sets. The first instructional set (range tracking) was similar to the Bekesy Comfortable Loudness tracking method described by Jerger and Jerger (1974). The second instructional set (limit tracking) required the subjects to perform separate trackings of each limit (upper and lower) of their CLRs. Results demonstrated a 34.4 dB difference between CLRs for the two instructional sets. The range tracking method yielded the narrowest CLR. Both instructional sets yielded similar upper limits of the CLR. The results of the present investigation demonstrate the importance of instructions employed in research and clinical measurements of the CLR.