Statistical distribution of normal hearing thresholds under free-field listening conditions

Kenji Kurakata*, Tazu Mizunami, Kazuma Matsushita, Kaoru Ashihara

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The statistical distribution of normal hearing thresholds for pure tones of frontal incidence under binaural, free-field listening conditions was estimated as a function of frequency. First, the form of threshold distribution was investigated with threshold measurement data of the present study and those of other studies. Analytical results indicate that the threshold distribution has a form of normal distribution for the frequency range from 25 Hz to 16 kHz. Second, under the assumption of normality, standard deviations of thresholds were calculated for the frequency range from 25 Hz to 18 kHz by combining available threshold data of different studies. A supplementary experiment showed that thresholds at frequencies above 16 kHz were measurable with high reliability. These results illustrate the profile of our auditory sensitivity more accurately because they account for individual differences.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)440-446
Number of pages7
JournalAcoustical Science and Technology
Volume26
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2005
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Free-field listening
  • Hearing threshold
  • Individual difference
  • Statistical distribution

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Acoustics and Ultrasonics

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