Upper limits of auditory motion perception

在日常听力中，听觉系统面临的主要挑战之一是跟踪移动的声源以预测其未来的路径（例如，驶近的汽车，嗡嗡作响的蚊子）。然而，与我们对静态声音定位的理解相比，我们对听觉运动的感知（和生理）基础的理解仍然滞后。如果我们对听觉运动感知的了解相对较少，那么我们对辨别运动声音速度的能力就更不了解了。只有少数研究调查了听觉速度感知，而那些研究使用了相对较慢的速度。但是，我们最近证明了听众能够以更高的速度感知旋转声音的运动。此外，大多数关于声音定位的研究都是在无回声（或“干燥”）环境中进行的。然而，在几乎所有的自然环境中，空间听觉都受到混响的挑战。混响对静态声音定位的不利影响已被报道，但其对听觉运动的影响将在本项目中首次系统地研究，通过在大型音乐厅重复实验。最后，本程序将描述各种空间化技术，以在听众周围重现声学运动的能力来定位虚拟声源。

One of the major challenges to the auditory system in everyday listening is to track moving sound sources to predict their future path (e.g. an approaching car, a buzzing mosquito). However, our understanding of the perceptual (and physiological) underpinnings of auditory motion is still lagging compared to our understanding of static sound localization. If we know relatively little about auditory motion perception, we know even less about our ability to discriminate the velocity of moving sounds. Only a handful of studies have investigated auditory velocity perception and those that did used relatively slow velocities. But, we recently demonstrated that listeners are able to perceive the motion of rotating sounds at much higher velocities. Furthermore, most research on sound localization has been conducted in anechoic (or 'dry') environments. However, in almost all natural environments spatial hearing is challenged by the presence of reverberation. Detrimental effects of reverberation on static sound localization have been reported, but its effect on auditory motion will be investigated systematically for the first time in this program by repeating experiments in a large concert hall. Finally, this program will characterize various spatialization techniques for the positioning of virtual sound sources in terms of their ability to reproduce acoustic motion around the listener. This program investigates the relative contribution of different perceptual mechanisms used to localize moving sounds by manipulating the characteristics of the sound (spectral content), its movement (velocity, trajectories) and the environment (reverberation, presentation mode). The short-term goal is to identify the necessary and sufficient cues for auditory motion detection for circular and linear trajectories using experimental conditions and behavioural tasks designed to push the limits of the auditory system. The long-term goal of this program is to understand the perceptual underpinnings of auditory motion in order to extend or reconcile current theory regarding motion perception. Future directions include investigating how visual, auditory and haptic information can be used together to provide complementary motion information.