Auditory motion perception in normal hearing and in hearing impaired people

Authors:

• Tomasz Kaczmarek,
• Marek Niewiarowicz

Abstract

This study investigated the perception of the velocity of linearly moving sound sources passing in front of a listener. The binaural simulation of motion used in two psychoacoustical experiments included changes in the overall sound pressure level, the Doppler effect, changes in interaural time differences and head related transfer functions. These changes were considered as cues for the perception of velocity. The perception of velocity was investigated in normal hearing as well as in hearing impaired people. The differential velocity thresholds obtained in the present study for the velocities of 10, 20 and 30 m/s (stimuli was always 2 second long) were 3.0, 3.9 and 5.1 m/s in normal hearing people and 5.4, 5.9 and 6.1 m/s in hearing impaired people. The weights of potential cues were also investigated. These weights were found to be different in normal hearing people and in hearing impaired people. Finally, it was found that the discrimination of velocity in linear motion is not connected with the static comparison of the sound source parameters at the start and end of each presentation interval. This study has confirmed the importance of signal dynamics in the perception of velocity. The magnitudes of all underlying cues (both static and dynamic) at thresholds are reported. © S. Hirzel Verlag · EAA.