Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

A Low Cost Setup for Behavioral Audiometry in Rodents
Published on: October 16, 2012
The effect of signal type on the loudness discomfort level
Abstract:
Loudness discomfort levels (LDL's) were obtained on 19 normal-hearing subjects with 18 different stimuli using a simple up-down adaptive procedure. The stimuli included five pure tones, five one-third octave bands of noise, five one-third octave bands of filtered multi-talker babble, wide-band noise, spondaic words, and sentences. Results indicated there was no significant difference among the three frequency-specific stimuli. However, a significant frequency effect was found. LDL's for the two speech stimuli and wide-band noise were not significantly different and were similar to values for signals in the 500 to 4000 Hz region. Although differences among mean LDL's for the various signals were quite small, large intrasubject variability among the signal types and across frequency was observed. This fact would seem to preclude the conclusion that equivalent LDL's would be obtained on an individual regardless of the type of stimulus.
Related Concept Videos
Sound Intensity Level
The human ear can perceive an extensive range of sound intensity, necessitating the use of the logarithmic scale to define a physical quantity—the intensity level. It is a ratio of two intensities and hence a...
Interference: Path Lengths
Two special sources may be considered when they are in phase. This can be easily achieved by feeding the two sources from the same source. An example would be synchronizing the two speakers by feeding them with the same source, such as the sound waves produced by a tuning fork. This setup ensures that the two sources have the same frequency and are...
Muscle Stimulation Frequency
Wave summation
At low firing rates, motor neurons induce individual twitch contractions in muscle fibers. These twitches...
Classification of Signals
A continuous-time signal holds a value at every instant in time, representing information seamlessly. In contrast, a discrete-time signal holds values only at specific moments, often denoted as x(n), where...
Basic Operations on Signals
Time Reversal mirrors a continuous-time signal about the vertical axis at t=0. This is achieved by substituting t with −t. For example, if a signal x(t) is considered, the time-reversed signal is x(−t). This operation can be graphically represented, showing the mirrored signal.
Sensation
Absolute thresholds can quantify the sensitivity of sensory...

