Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Spectro-temporal factors in two-dimensional human sound localization

P M Hofman1, A J Van Opstal

  • 1University of Nijmegen, Department of Medical Physics and Biophysics, The Netherlands. paul@mbfys.kun.nl

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|May 30, 1998
PubMed
Summary

Human sound localization relies on spectro-temporal factors, particularly for vertical (elevation) perception. The auditory system uses short-term estimates, not long-term integration, for dynamic sound elevation tracking.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Reaction times of cochlear implant users to a change in electrode or modulation frequency in the presence of a masker.

Hearing research·2025
Same author

Audio-Visual Integration in a Redundant Target Paradigm: A Comparison between Rhesus Macaque and Man.

Frontiers in systems neuroscience·2017
Same author

Hearing aid fitting for visual and hearing impaired patients with Usher syndrome type IIa.

Clinical otolaryngology : official journal of ENT-UK ; official journal of Netherlands Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology & Cervico-Facial Surgery·2016
Same author

Dynamic patterns: the self-organization of brain and behavior.

Journal of cognitive neuroscience·2013
Same author

Blink perturbation effects on saccades evoked by microstimulation of the superior colliculus.

PloS one·2012
Same author

Optimal control of saccades by spatial-temporal activity patterns in the monkey superior colliculus.

PLoS computational biology·2012

Area of Science:

  • Auditory Neuroscience
  • Human Perception
  • Acoustic Signal Processing

Background:

  • Accurate sound localization in two dimensions (2D) is crucial for human interaction.
  • Understanding the spectro-temporal processing underlying sound localization is an ongoing challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of spectro-temporal stimulus characteristics on human 2D sound localization performance.
  • To elucidate the temporal processing mechanisms the auditory system employs for sound elevation estimation.

Main Methods:

  • Subjects performed saccadic eye movements towards acoustic stimuli in the frontal hemisphere.
  • Stimuli varied in spectro-temporal patterns (noise bursts, FM tones, burst trains) but had identical averaged power spectra.
  • Both horizontal (azimuth) and vertical (elevation) stimulus locations were randomized.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Elevation components of saccadic responses varied systematically with temporal parameters.
  • Azimuth response components remained accurate across all stimulus conditions.
  • Evidence suggests the auditory system uses a 'multiple-look' strategy with short-term estimates (few ms) rather than long-term integration (100 ms).

Conclusions:

  • Spectro-temporal factors significantly influence sound elevation perception.
  • The auditory system dynamically processes spectral information using rapid, consecutive estimates for elevation.
  • A conceptual model is proposed for temporal processing of spectral cues into dynamic elevation estimates.