FUNCTIONS OF LOUDNESS DISCRIMINATION IN SUBMARINE SONAR OPERATIONS
Abstract
A resume is given of the research on the relationship of pure-tone loudness discrimination to the submarine sonar performance. The experience of the laboratory since July 1944 with Auditory Test No. 7 of the Harvard Psycho- Acoustic Laboratory, 'Loudness Discrimination for Bands of Noise' is presented. This test, which requires a subject to make 110 judgments as to whether a complex tone (500-2000 c.p.s.) becomes louder or softer in intensity, is satisfactorily reliable when administered as a group test with loudspeaker (odd- even r = +.88). Performance on the test is independent of overall intensity level over a rather wide range. The relation of the test to sonar performance is investigated in preliminary experiments. No correlation exists between the test and final sound school grades; but when correlated against specific auditory sonar performances to which loudness discrimination may reasonably be presumed to contribute, correlations of the order .21 - .51 were obtained. In addition, significant differences in performance were found between those who do poorly and those who do average or better on the test.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 05, 1945
- Accession Number
- AD0638200
Entities
People
- J. D. Harris