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Envelope regularity discrimination

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Moore, BCJ 
Sȩk, AP 
Vinay 
Füllgrabe, C 

Abstract

The ability to discriminate irregular from regular amplitude modulation was assessed using the "envelope regularity discrimination" test. The amount of irregularity was parametrically varied and quantified by an "irregularity index." Normative data were gathered for young subjects with normal audiometric thresholds. Parameters varied were the carrier and modulation frequencies, f c and f m , and the baseline modulation index, m. All tests were performed using a background threshold-equalizing noise. The main findings were (1) using f c = 4000 Hz, f m = 8 Hz, and m = 0.3, performance improved over the first two threshold runs and then remained roughly stable, and there was a high correlation between thresholds obtained at 80 dB sound pressure level (SPL) and at 20 dB sensation level; (2) using f m = 8 Hz and m = 0.3 with a level of 80 dB SPL, thresholds did not vary significantly across f c = 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz; (3) using f m = 8 Hz and f c = 4000 Hz with a level of 80 dB SPL, thresholds did not vary significantly for m from 0.2 to 0.5; and (4) using m = 0.3 and f c = 4000 Hz with a level of 80 dB SPL, thresholds improved with increasing f m from 2 to 16 Hz. For all conditions, there was substantial individual variability, probably resulting from differences in "processing efficiency."

Description

Keywords

1117 Public Health and Health Services

Journal Title

Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0001-4966
1520-8524

Volume Title

145

Publisher

Acoustical Society of America
Sponsorship
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/M026957/1)
This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UK, Grant No. RG78536).