TY - JOUR
T1 - Psychometric functions for pure-tone frequency discrimination
AU - Dai, Huanping
AU - Micheyl, Christophe
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by University of Arizona and National Institutes of Health Grant Nos. R29 DC01827 (H.D.) and R01 DC05216 (C.M.). The authors would like to thank Dr. Emily Buss, Dr. Walt Jesteadt, and two anonymous reviewers for many constructive suggestions on an earlier versions of the manuscript. 1
PY - 2011/7
Y1 - 2011/7
N2 - The form of the psychometric function (PF) for auditory frequency discrimination is of theoretical interest and practical importance. In this study, PFs for pure-tone frequency discrimination were measured for several standard frequencies (200-8000 Hz) and levels [35-85 dB sound pressure level (SPL)] in normal-hearing listeners. The proportion-correct data were fitted using a cumulative-Gaussian function of the sensitivity index, d′, computed as a power transformation of the frequency difference, Δf. The exponent of the power function corresponded to the slope of the PF on log(d′)-log(Δf) coordinates. The influence of attentional lapses on PF-slope estimates was investigated. When attentional lapses were not taken into account, the estimated PF slopes on log(d′)-log(Δf) coordinates were found to be significantly lower than 1, suggesting a nonlinear relationship between d′ and Δf. However, when lapse rate was included as a free parameter in the fits, PF slopes were found not to differ significantly from 1, consistent with a linear relationship between d′ and Δf. This was the case across the wide ranges of frequencies and levels tested in this study. Therefore, spectral and temporal models of frequency discrimination must account for a linear relationship between d′ and Δf across a wide range of frequencies and levels.
AB - The form of the psychometric function (PF) for auditory frequency discrimination is of theoretical interest and practical importance. In this study, PFs for pure-tone frequency discrimination were measured for several standard frequencies (200-8000 Hz) and levels [35-85 dB sound pressure level (SPL)] in normal-hearing listeners. The proportion-correct data were fitted using a cumulative-Gaussian function of the sensitivity index, d′, computed as a power transformation of the frequency difference, Δf. The exponent of the power function corresponded to the slope of the PF on log(d′)-log(Δf) coordinates. The influence of attentional lapses on PF-slope estimates was investigated. When attentional lapses were not taken into account, the estimated PF slopes on log(d′)-log(Δf) coordinates were found to be significantly lower than 1, suggesting a nonlinear relationship between d′ and Δf. However, when lapse rate was included as a free parameter in the fits, PF slopes were found not to differ significantly from 1, consistent with a linear relationship between d′ and Δf. This was the case across the wide ranges of frequencies and levels tested in this study. Therefore, spectral and temporal models of frequency discrimination must account for a linear relationship between d′ and Δf across a wide range of frequencies and levels.
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U2 - 10.1121/1.3598448
DO - 10.1121/1.3598448
M3 - Article
C2 - 21786896
AN - SCOPUS:79960670695
SN - 0001-4966
VL - 130
SP - 263
EP - 272
JO - Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
JF - Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
IS - 1
ER -