The study of Sound Localizability Examined as a Function of Degree and Time of Onset of Visual Impairment and Application of the Results to Assistive Devices for Orientation and Mobility

当视觉功能受损时，触觉和听觉起到视觉替代的作用。单靠试镜就能完成什么样的行为表现，这一点还不清楚。在本研究中，我们从两个方面考察了视障人士的声音定位。由于低视力者的声音定位低于完全失明，人们会问是否可以通过训练来提高技能，以及它是否可维持。另一种是其他声音对目标声音定位的干扰。在以往的实验中发现，视力受试者的声音定位技能在短期的反馈训练中有所提高，但在训练结束后的几个月内消失。在后一项实验中，研究人员发现，当参与者同时听到额外的声音和目标声音时，他们会倾向于将目标声音的位置指向额外声音的另一边。

When visual function is impaired, tactile and auditory senses work as visual substitution. The reality about what is the behavioral performance being done by audition alone is not clear yet. In this study, we investigated two aspects of the sound localization of the visually impaired. Since low vision person's sound localization is lower than totally blind, one will ask whether improvement in the skill by training is possible and whether it is maintainable or not. The other is a disturbance of sound localization to the target sound by other sound. In the former experiment, it was found that sound localizing skill of the sighted subjects increased by doing feedback training of a short period, but it disappeared within a few months when training was severed. In the latter experiment, it was found that when participants were exposed to the extra sound together with a target sound, they showed a tendency to indicate the location of target sound toward the opposite side of the extra sound.