Psychophysical tuning curves for frequences below 100 Hz

Publication: Research - peer-reviewJournal article

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Psychophysical tuning curves (PTCs) were measured for sinusoidal signals with frequency /f_s / = 31.5, 40, 50, 63, and 80 Hz, using sinusoidal and narrowband-noise maskers. For the former, conditions were included where a pair of beating tones were added to reduce the use of cues related to beats. Estimates of each subject's middle-ear transfer function (METF) were obtained from equal-loudness contours measured from 20 to 160 Hz. With decreasing /f_s /, the PTCs progressively broadened and became markedly asymmetrical, with shallow upper skirts and steep lower skirts. For the sinusoidal maskers, the tips were more irregular than for narrowband noise maskers or when beating tones were added. For /f_s / = 31.5 and 40 Hz, the tips of the PTCs always fell above /f_s /. Allowing for the METF so as to infer underlying filter shapes resulted in flatter lower skirts, especially below 40 Hz, and reduced the frequency at the tips for /f_s / between 31.5 and 50 Hz; however, the tips did not fall below 40 to 50 Hz. The bandwidths of the PTCs increased with decreasing /f_s / below 80 Hz. However, bandwidths remained roughly constant if the METF was included as part of auditory filtering for frequencies below 40 Hz.
Original languageEnglish
JournalAcoustical Society of America. Journal
Publication dateMay 2011
Volume129
Journal number5
Pages3166-3180
Number of pages15
ISSN0001-4966
DOIs
StatePublished

ID: 47170703