THE EFFECT OF FREQUENCY SPECTRUM ON TEMPORAL INTEGRATION OF ENERGY IN THE EAR,
Abstract
The experiments are designed to test the following hypothesis. The rate of the temporal integration of energy in the ear (at threshold) is dependent on the width of the frequency band of the energy to be integrated. Duration is exactly equivalent to intensity only when all the energy to be integrated is in a narrow band of frequencies. The hypothesis is tested by taking advantage of the spectral distribution of energy in short tones. As a tone becomes very short, the effective band width of the energy increases. The band width of energy is essentially defined by the reciprocal of the duration of the tone. Thus as the duration of a tone decreases, not only does the total energy in that tone decrease, but the band width of energy also increases. The intensity threshold, then has to be increased (as duration is decreased) to compensate for both effects if the hypothesis is correct. The results are in line with the predictions of the hypothesis. The width of the band necessary for maximum integration is also related to frequency and the width of critical bands. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 16, 1947
- Accession Number
- AD0639686
Entities
People
- W. R. Garner
Organizations
- Johns Hopkins University