Comparison of acoustic reflex and behavioral thresholds as a function of stimulus frequency and duration

Threshold-duration functions for the acoustic reflex and threshold-duration functions based upon behavioral measures were obtained on the same group of subjects and compared. The mean temporal integration for the acoustic reflex threshold appears to be comparable to that for the behavioral threshold for stimuli of 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz, but marked individual differences exist in temporal integration of the acoustic reflex. At 4000 Hz, the mean change in the reflex threshold as a function of stimulus duration is significantly greater than the change in the behavioral threshold under the same conditions, suggesting that in the elicitation of the acoustic reflex the auditory system processes energy less efficiently at 4000 Hz than it does at lower frequencies.