Speaker/Affiliation: Neal F. Viemeister Ph.D. Pr

ofessor University of Minnesota Department of Psychology Psychoacoustics
Lab

When/Location: 11/12/07 12:00 PM SEA 4.244

Title of Ta

lk: ''Auditory intensity coding and modulation perception''

Receptio

n with Refreshments at 11:30 AM

Abstract: The dynamic range of norma

l hearing the range over which intensity changes can be perceived is in e

xcess of 120 dB. The %93dynamic range problem%94%97how this enormous range

is represented in a population of auditory nerve fibers each with a limited
dynamic range-- remains unsolved. This talk will address current thinking

about this fundamental issue and about the related issue of loudness and lo

udness recruitment. It will be argued that loudness itself is relatively u

nimportant from the standpoint of understanding auditory perception. Far mo

re important is how intensity changes are processed and perceived. Data wil

l be presented from our recent experiments on intensity change perception a

nd on modulation processing. These indicate that lawful relationships such
as Weber%92s Law that are seen for just-detectable changes are also seen

for changes that are highly detectable. This is important for understanding
the basic processes of intensity coding and for describing how real-world

intensity changes are perceived.