Categorical loudness scaling uses labeled bars from Not Heard to Too Loud

Evidence

The CLS experimental methods generally followed the ISO standard (Kinkel 2007 ). Stimuli were presented monaurally over Sennheiser Professional HD 25-II headphones in a sound booth. Eleven loudness categories were displayed on a computer monitor as horizontal bars increasing in length from bottom to top. Every other bar between the “Not Heard” and “Too Loud” categories had a descriptive label (i.e., “Soft”, “Medium”, etc.). Participants clicked on the bar that corresponded to their loudness perception. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2518

In cases where more rapid estimates are needed (such as clinical applications), another alternative is categorical loudness scaling, in which there is no explicit reference (e.g., Allen, Hall, & Jeng, 1990; Garner, 1953). These procedures are commonly used to measure the level at which sound is uncomfortably loud (the uncomfortable loudness level) or the level at which sound is most comfortable. In this procedure listeners are given a set of terms ranging from “very soft” to “painfully loud,” and they use those terms to categorize the loudness of the sounds they hear. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 741

The CLS experimental methods generally followed the ISO standard (Kinkel 2007 ). Stimuli were presented monaurally over Sennheiser Professional HD 25-II headphones in a sound booth. Eleven loudness categories were displayed on a computer monitor as horizontal bars increasing in length from bottom to top. Every other bar between the “Not Heard” and “Too Loud” categories had a descriptive label (i.e., “Soft”, “Medium”, etc.). Participants clicked on the bar that corresponded to their loudness perception. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2534

The CLS experimental methods generally followed the ISO standard (Kinkel 2007 ). Stimuli were presented monaurally over Sennheiser Professional HD 25-II headphones in a sound booth. Eleven loudness categories were displayed on a computer monitor as horizontal bars increasing in length from bottom to top. Every other bar between the “Not Heard” and “Too Loud” categories had a descriptive label (i.e., “Soft”, “Medium”, etc.). Participants clicked on the bar that corresponded to their loudness perception. The CLS test was divided into two phases: (1) estimation of the dynamic range, and (2) the main experiment. In the main experiment, for each frequency, a fixed set of stimuli was composed of 20 repetitions at each level, with the presentation levels spanning the listener’s dynamic range in 5 dB steps. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2543

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines categorical loudness scaling as a no-reference rating method using verbal categories, contrasted with matching procedures.
• ADDENDUM: Relates closely to measuring ‘uncomfortable loudness level’ and ‘most comfortable level’ — could feed into practical audiology applications alongside the sacrifice/trees articles as an example of measurement proxies.
• corroborated: 4 independent passages support this claim — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2518; Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 741; Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2534 (+1 more)