Psychoacoustics ll: Temporal Processing Flashcards
Temporal patterns are
informational substrate which carry information
What are two aspects of temporal processing?
Temporal resolution (more concerned with this)
Temporal integration
What is Temporal resolution?
how OUR SYSTEM IS ABLE to follow the temporal changes, mostly the ENVELOP of the sound
What is Temporal Integration?
Temporal integration involves combining information over time to improve detection or discrimination (sensitivity)
(ex: temporal summation)
What are the two parts of a speech sound?
Temporal envelop and Fine Structure
What does this image show?
The temporal envelope of speech results from speech on and off, in addition to the amplitude changes of pronunciation of vowels, constants
The envelope is seen as an information carrier
What are the frequencies in the temporal envelope in our communication?
Ranges from a few to several hundred Hz in speech
What is the peak of the envelope in the spectrum?
Peaked at 3-4 kHz, corresponding to the normal speed of words/sec. 9 (3-4 articulations per second)
What can we see in the envelope regarding vowels?
Vowels contain Fn (n=0, 1, 2, 3 formats and fundamental frequency (F0)).
Fine structure ~ carriers; Fn ~ modulation fre.
What does the interaction among the formants produce?
Temporal fluctuation
What characteristics can mimic speech/vowels?
amplitude/frequency modulation
What do behavior studies of TR show about within/cross-channel resolution? (2)
The response to signal changes within or cross-frequency channels
For example, gap markers in the same (within) or different (cross-channel) frequency bands
Why do we use gap detection?
Gap detection is a common method to detect TR where the sound is separated by a silent gap
The sound before the gap is called __________________ and the sound after the gap is called _____________________
Pre-gap marker
Post-gap marker
Which between within and cross resolution is closer to real life?
Within-channel resolution
What is cross-channel detection?
The pre-gap marker and post-gap marker are signals in the different frequency channel
What are peripheral vs central limitations seen in behavior Studies of Temporal Resolution? (2)
Limitation from the synaptic transmission, bottom-up
Limitations due to the need of a top-down process (needed to process speech)
How are Simple Estimates of Within-Channel Acuity done for a good estimation of auditory TR? (2)
- Use a single number (index) to indicate TR
- Clicks presented in sequence~ 6ms.
Explain how temporal Resolution is done from click trains.
- Clicks presented in train
- The rate of the train is increased from low to high
- The sense of separated clicks remains up to the rate of 150/s
- Or 6 ms is the approximate of the temporal resolution with click trains.
- Similar result is seen using tone burst of 4 kHz, in which the resolution was evaluated as the minimal intervals between the tones.
What would occur if we use paired clicks instead of click trains?
- In the first pair, the first click is louder/weaker than the second one, order is reversed in the second pair
- Listeners differentiate from detecting temporal order
- Resolution is indicated by the minimal interval upon which the order can be told correctly
- TR down to 2 ms using this method!
What does this graph show related to a method to evaluate TR?
Effect of overall duration on Discrimination (the second method to evaluate TR but not popular)
- The same signal but you change the duration
- You ask the subject to tell you which signal is longer or shorter
- From this data, we can see that Weber’s fraction should be constant/followed
No difference related to bandwidth of signals
What is the Gap Detection ability?
Ability to identify a (silence) gap between two sounds or a drop in level/interruption of a sound by varied formats
What is the Gap threshold defined as?
Gap threshold Δt is defined as the minimum period of the gap that can be identified. Below that Δt, the sound is perceived as continuous
How can the Gap be like?
A silent period or one in which sound intensity is largely reduced
Gap detection can be measured in ______________________ test or ____________________test like______________________.
Behavior test, or in an objective test like evoked potential
How does the identification of the Gap threshold work in the behavior test?
By detecting the signal in response to the off-set of the pre-gap marker and onset of the post-gap marker
What can we use as Gap markers? (2)
Broadband noise and narrow band signals
Since gap markers can be broadband noise and narrow-band signals, what does it tell us about our ability to test gap detection?
Gap markers show that we can test gap detection in different frequency regions
What is the issue with using narrow-band signals as a gap marker?
Contamination of Frequency cues when using narrow band signal and sudden on/off
How can we overcome the frequency cue contaminations from narrow-band gap markers? (3)
- Masking with Notch noise
- Bandpass filter to get rid of contamination (to modify signal)
- Ramping but will make the gap not clear in duration
What does this graph show related to how we sense the gap between two sounds?
How Gap detection is based upon sensation change (degree of excitation) due to the onset and offset of signal
Pre- and post-gap markers can be different in terms of amplitude, duration and frequency.
For the gap detection test:
If different in frequency, then test______________
If both are the same in frequency, then test ____________
If different in frequency, then tests cross-channel
If both are the same in frequency, within channel test.
What is the effect of intensity on the gap marker?
Causes equal marker intensity
The impact of sound level is seen near/just above the hearing threshold and is not changed by sound level well above the threshold
What is the effect of gap marker bandwidth?
The gap is marked with equal sounds and markers are broadband signals and narrow signals resulting in a better or smaller gap detection threshold with a broader marker bandwidth.
What is the effect of bandwidth on thresholds?
Broader bandwidth causes smaller gap thresholds, our system can integrate information across broad frequency regions to improve resolution
What is the impact of hearing loss on the gap thresholds?
High-frequency HL: deteriorated gap threshold (goes down) when using broadband markers which are attributed to reduced audibility, since oftentimes SNHL occurs at high frequencies
High-frequency channels/regions have a better temporal resolution since the traveling wave occurs quicker at higher frequency region (natural advantage quickly change the signal)
What is the evidence of the impact of hearing loss on gap threshold?
High-pass filter just masks high-frequency region to create artificial hearing loss
When high-pass masking is used in normal hearing subjects, will have a similar change of deteriorated gap thresholds to SNHL.
If you compare artificial hearing loss to natural hearing loss you will not see the difference in gap thresholds to SNHL since they both become deteriorated.
High-frequency channels have a better temporal resolution
What are three settings gap detection can be seen?
(a): within the channel (same frequency band of pre and post-gap markers)
(b): Cross/between channels (different frequencies between the pre and post-gap markers)
(c): diff in onset/duration discrimination (must be “between channels”)
How does the detection of Sinusoidally Amplitude Modulated Noise work? (2)
Modulation depth can be represented in
% modulation:
average/peak to peak%;
or peak to trough /average%
percentage can be converted into dB: 20log(%), e.g., 10%~ 20log(0.1) = -20 dB (IMPORTANT)
Minimal depth of modulation is the minimal depth you identify the sound as modulated (usually smaller ar low pass)
Detection threshold with modulation frequency or Modulation transfer function (MTF)
What does this graph show?
The detection of Sinusoidally Amplitude Modulated Noise
Modulation signals
a) Time waves of modulated and unmodulated noise
b) Modulation with different MF (high or low frequency).
c) Modulation with different depth