Clinical LDL testing uses categorized loudness scaling with ascending stepped levels

Evidence

A common procedure initially developed by Hawkins, Walden, Montgomery, and Prosek (1987) provides a listener with seven-to-nine loudness categories with words ranging from “very soft” to “painfully loud,” as illustrated in Figure 4–5. Presentation begins at a level that targets the “soft” category (a level approximately 20 dB SL, but may be lower depending on the degree of hearing loss). Upon hearing the sound, the patient categorizes the loudness using the scale provided. Stimulus level is increased in 5-dB steps (or possibly 2 dB for a patient with a very small dynamic range) until the patient indicates that the sound is uncomfortably loud. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 860

Categorization

• DEFINE: This is the operational definition of how an LDL is obtained, tying abstract concept to concrete procedure.