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Re: Rationale for Critical Bands



Dear List:

Brian C. J. Moore wrote:

And speech perception does deteriorate at high levels, probably due to broadening of the auditory filters. See, for example:

Studebaker, G. A., Sherbecoe, R. L., McDaniel, D. M., Gwaltney, C. A., 1999. Monosyllabic word recognition at higher-than-normal speech and noise levels. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 105, 2431-2444.

This is not true. Deterioration only occurs for speech in noise, and only if noise level increases with speech level. Already in the abstract the authors stated: " Speech levels ranged from 64 to 99 dB SPL .......... In quiet, the performance of normal-hearing subjects remained essentially constant"

Where was the "broadening of the auditory filters" in the quiet condition? Thank you very much for giving further support to my argument. I had estimated that nothing happens up to 80 dB. Now we even have data that nothing happens up to 99 dB.


As to the definition of the term "Auditory Filter", there are probably as many as authors using it. I have been suggesting for about a decade that this term is abandoned in scientific discussions.

First, what users actually mean is "filter band", not "filter". The filters in hearing are the hair cells and the neurons.

Second, filter bands are characterized by the conditions of the place where you measure them. A general "auditory filter" in any biological system is just a myth.

Martin


---------------------------------------------------------------------
Martin Braun
Neuroscience of Music
S-671 95 Klässbol
Sweden
email: nombraun@xxxxxxxxx
web site: http://www.neuroscience-of-music.se/index.htm





----- Original Message ----- From: "Brian C. J. Moore" <bcjm@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <AUDITORY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 4:41 PM
Subject: Re: Rationale for Critical Bands


Dear All

At 15:00 15/06/2010, Wiebe Horst wrote:
Dear all,

I am getting more and more confused by this discussion.
It would help if every contributor started by giving his/her
definition of Critical Band.
I am used to using Scharf's (1970) definition:
"The critical band is a band of that width at which subjective
responses  change rather abruptly."

The problem with this definition is that there are few if any auditory responses which "change rather abruptly" at a certain bandwidth. The perceptual changes are nearly always smooth and progressive, consistent with auditory filters with rounded tops.

And speech perception does deteriorate at high levels, probably due to broadening of the auditory filters. See, for example:

Studebaker, G. A., Sherbecoe, R. L., McDaniel, D. M., Gwaltney, C. A., 1999. Monosyllabic word recognition at higher-than-normal speech and noise levels. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 105, 2431-2444.

Best wishes,

Brian Moore

Brian C. J. Moore, Ph.D, FMedSci, FRS,
Professor of Auditory Perception,
Department of Experimental Psychology,
University of Cambridge,
Downing Street,
Cambridge CB2 3EB,
UK
Tel. +44 (0) 1223 333574
Fax. +44 (0) 1223 333564
http://hearing.psychol.cam.ac.uk