Spatial hearing: the psychophysics of human sound localization

Abstract

Part 1 Introduction: auditory events and auditory space systems analysis of the auditory experiment remarks concerning experimental procedures (psychometric methods, signals and sound fields, probe microphones). Part 2 Spatial hearing with one sound source: localization and localization blur the sound field at the two ears (propagation in the ear canal, the pinna and the effect of the head, transfer functions of the external ear) evaluating identical ear input signals (directional hearing in the median plane, distance hearing and inside-the-head locatedness) evaluating nonidentical ear inputs signals (interaural time differences, interaural level differences, the interaction of interaural time and level differences) additional parameters (motional theories, bone-condition, visual, vestibular and tactile theories). Part 3 Spatial hearing with multiple sound sources and in enclosed spaces: two sound sources radiating coherent signals (summing localization, the law of the first wavefront, inhibition of the primary sound) two sound sources radiating partially coherent or incoherent signals (the influence of the degree of coherence, binaural signal detection) more than two sound sources and diffuse sound fields. Part 4 Progress and trends since 1972: preliminary remarks the physics of the external ear (transfer functions of the external ear, area function and termination of the ear canal, analysis of transfer characteristics) evaluation of monaural attributes of the ear input signals evaluation of interaural attributes of the ear input signals (lateralization and multiple auditory events, summing localization and the law of the first wavefront, binaural localization, signal detection, and speech recognition in the presence of interfering noise, models of binaural signal processing) examples of applications (the auditory spatial impression, dummy-head stereophony). Part 5 Progress and trends since 1982: preliminary remarks binaural room simulation and auditory virtual reality binaural signal processing and speech enhancement the precedence effect - a case of cognition.