Physics and Physiology of the Perception of Short Acoustic Pulses

Karolina Martinson ⁰ Marcin Majka ⁰ Jarosław Rubacha ⁰ Adam Pilch ⁰ Magdalena Senderecka ⁰ Tadeusz Kamisiński ⁰ Piotr Zieliński ⁰

⁰Division of Condensed Matter Physics, The H. Niewodniczański Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Science
⁰Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, Department of Mechanics and Vibroacoustics, AGH University of Science and Technology
⁰Cognitive Science Unit, Institute of Philosophy Jagiellonian University

Observations indicate that the overall impression produced by very short acoustic pulses depends on the duration time of the pulse. Tests aimed at the determination of the just perceptible difference (difference limen) of the duration time have been prepared. The subjects have been asked to notice differences in two sound properties perceived: pitch and timbre. Behavioural tests revealed that the effective perceived pitch increases with decreasing duration time of Gaussian shaped pulses and cosine enveloped with a Gaussian in the range of duration time 0 – 20 ms.

The short time acoustic pulses were tested in the anechoic chamber. Sounds with the duration time in the range of 0,14 ms – 27 ms (proportional to the width of the Gaussian envelope) were used in three different test configurations: (a) speaker – microphone, (b) speaker – artificial head and (c) headphones – artificial head. In configuration (a) we have examined the physical properties of generated signals, in configuration (b) we have checked the physiological response of the human hearing system and in configuration (c) we have examined the physiological response of the human hearing system in conditions similar to a behavioural tests. In addition the Gaussian envelope signal was examined itself. Adequacy of cochlear models available in the literature [1,2,3] have been studied.

The poster will present the results of the behavioural tests as well as the comparison of the computer models with the data obtained in the anechoic chamber. The relation of the physiological and physical aspects of the perception of short acoustic pulses will be discussed.

[1] G. Min, X. W. Zhang, X. Zou, S. Meng. Mask estimate through Itakura-Saito nonnegative RPCA for speech enhancement, 2016 IEEE International Workshop on Acoustic Signal Enhancement (IWAENC)
[2] M. Majka , P. Sobieszczyk, R. Gębarowski, P. Zieliński, Submilisecond acoustic pulses: effective pitch and Weber-Fechner law in discrimination of duration times, arXiv:1404.6464
[3] L. Koop, Simulating Hearing Loss Using a Transmission Line Cochlea Model, 2015, master thesis, Delft University of Technology