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When a test sound consisting of pure tones with equal intensities is preceded by a precursor sound identical to the test sound except for a reduction in the intensity of one tone, an auditory "enhancement" phenomenon occurs: In the test sound, the tone which was previously softer stands out perceptually. Here, enhancement was investigated using inharmonic sounds made up of five pure tones well resolved in the auditory periphery. It was found that enhancement can be elicited not only by increases in intensity but also by shifts in frequency. In both cases, when the precursor and test sounds are separated by a 500-ms delay, inserting a burst of pink noise during the delay has little effect on enhancement. Presenting the precursor and test sounds to opposite ears rather than to the same ear significantly reduces the enhancement resulting from increases in intensity, but not the enhancement resulting from shifts in frequency. This difference suggests that the mechanisms of enhancement are not identical for the two types of change. For frequency shifts, enhancement may be partly based on the existence of automatic "frequency-shift detectors" [Demany and Ramos, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 117, 833-841 (2005)].
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.3589257 | DOI Listing |
J Speech Lang Hear Res
September 2025
Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Montclair State University, Bloomfield, NJ.
Purpose: Residual speech sound disorder (RSSD) is a high-prevalence condition that can limit children's academic and social participation, with negative consequences for overall well-being. Previous studies have described visual biofeedback as a promising option for RSSD, but results have been inconclusive due to study design limitations and small sample sizes.
Method: In a preregistered randomized controlled trial, 108 children aged 9-15 years with RSSD affecting American English /ɹ/ were randomly assigned to receive treatment incorporating visual biofeedback (subdivided into ultrasound and visual-acoustic types) or a comparison condition of motor-based treatment consistent with current best practices in speech therapy.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
September 2025
Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin 10315, Germany.
Animals can improve their decision-making abilities by integrating information from multiple senses, which is especially beneficial when living in fluctuating environments. However, understanding how wild predators may use multimodal sensing when hunting prey in split-second interactions remains largely unexplored. As nocturnal hunters, bats rely on echolocation to navigate and to locate evasive prey, yet they have retained functional vision, despite the associated costs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsychol Res
September 2025
School of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW2109, Australia.
Internal bodily sensations such as an empty rumbling stomach can lead to enhanced desire for food - hunger. As an empty rumbling stomach is caused by digestive physiology, it is often presumed that such physiological processes also cause hunger. However, psychological processes could equally generate hunger (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrends Hear
September 2025
Department of Otolaryngology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Individuals with tinnitus hear sounds that are not present in the external environment. Whereas hearing difficulties at frequencies near those matching the tinnitus pitch are a common complaint for individuals with tinnitus, it is unclear to what extent the internal tinnitus sounds interfere with the detection of external sounds. We therefore studied whether pure-tone detection at the estimated frequency corresponding to the tinnitus pitch (f) was affected by confusion with the tinnitus percept.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Audiol
September 2025
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of different hearing devices on sound localization and speech perception in individuals with single-sided deafness (SSD). Specifically, the study sought to assess the performance of softband bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHAs) and contralateral routing of signals hearing aids (CROS HA) in various conditions to determine their effectiveness in improving auditory outcomes for SSD patients.
Method: Eighteen participants (aged between 20 and 50 years) with SSD underwent tests using softband BAHA, CROS HA, and unaided conditions in a counterbalanced design.