In:
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Acoustical Society of America (ASA), Vol. 27, No. 3 ( 1955-05-01), p. 470-473
Abstract:
Stimulus variables influencing the fusion of interrupted white noise have been re-examined in a single trained observer using repetition rate as the independent variable. Critical auditory decay times have been calculated for all observed fusion thresholds under the assumption that the cue for the perception of minimal flutter is a decay of one detectable step in the loudness of the interrupted signal during the off interval. These critical decay times are satisfactorily described by the value 120 milliseconds (independent of intensity) when the burst duration in the interrupted signal is longer than a critical value (5 milliseconds for this listener), but for shorter burst durations the decay times are much lower and exhibit a relationship to burst duration and intensity. A shift in the population of neural units activated under the latter conditions is postulated as an explanation. The range of individual differences in flutter fusion thresholds under standard conditions has been examined by the use of a tape recorded test requiring repeated discriminations of interrupted from continuous noise. From a sample of 46 normal individuals a population of threshold scores may be postulated having a mean critical fusion frequency of 82.1 interruptions per second with a standard deviation of 19.4 when the interrupted noise has a sound-time fraction of 0.90 and an intensity of 70 db re 0.0002 dyne/cm2.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0001-4966
,
1520-8524
Language:
English
Publisher:
Acoustical Society of America (ASA)
Publication Date:
1955
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1461063-2
