Intensity Coding and Dynamic Processes in Hearing

描述（由申请人提供）：声音的动态方面，即随时间发生的振幅和频率变化是听觉感知和交流的关键信息承载要素。这个项目是一个综合的行为研究，使用正常听力和听力受损的成年人，从声音的振幅和短期频谱的变化中提取信息的能力。该提案分为三个相关的项目，每个项目研究超阈值动态处理的不同方面。第一个项目的总体目标是描述我们如何感知声音水平的变化。这将通过测试强度增量判别和强度增量匹配的超阈值强度增量来完成。特别重要的是拟议的实验使用听力受损的对象。这应该能让我们更好地理解响度招募对现实世界声音感知的影响。第二个项目追求我们的发现，即在相对短暂地暴露于超阈值幅度调制或频率调制之后，检测该特征的阈值可能会大幅延长。拟议研究的总体目标是描述这些后遗症的显著特性。实验包括检查恢复的时间过程、频率和水平效应、双耳效应和听力损伤的影响。第三个项目的目标是描述我们如何从声音的（振幅）包络中提取信息。重点是超阈值包络形状的识别。长期目标是为听觉感知的这一高级但基本的方面开发一个生理上现实的计算模型。总的来说，该项目将为理解听觉的基本感知特性以及听力障碍如何影响听觉提供重要的信息。该项目将有助于在听觉生理学和现实听力之间架起一座桥梁。这对于充分了解听力和听力损失以及制定和评估减轻听力损失影响的策略至关重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The dynamic aspects of sound the amplitude and frequency changes that occur over time are crucial information-bearing elements of auditory perception and communication. This project is a comprehensive behavioral study, using normal-hearing and hearing-impaired adults, of the ability to extract information from changes in the amplitude and the short-term spectrum of sound. The proposal is divided into three related projects each of which investigates different aspects of supra-threshold dynamic processing. The general objective of the first project is to describe how we perceive changes in the level of sounds. This will be done by testing intensity increment discrimination and intensity increment matching for suprathreshold intensity increments. Especially important are the proposed experiments using hearing impaired subjects. This should provide a better understanding of the consequences of loudness recruitment on the perception of real-world sounds. The second project pursues our finding that after relatively brief exposure to supra-threshold amplitude modulation or frequency modulation there can be substantial and prolonged elevation of the threshold for detecting this feature. The general objective of the proposed research is to describe the salient properties of these aftereffects. The experiments include examination of the temporal course of recovery, frequency and level effects, binaural effects, and the effects of hearing impairment. The objective of the third project is to describe how we extract information from the (amplitude) envelope of sounds. The focus is on discrimination of the shapes of supra-threshold envelopes. The longterm objective is to develop a physiologically realistic computational model for this higher order but basic aspect of auditory perception. Overall, this project will provide information of fundamental importance for understanding the basic perceptual properties of hearing and how hearing impairment affects auditory perception. The project will help provide a bridge between auditory physiology and real-world hearing. This is essential for a full understanding of hearing and hearing loss and for the development and evaluation of strategies for alleviating the effects of hearing loss.