Computational auditory models serve knowledge, audio-quality measurement, and diagnostics

Evidence

There are different motivations for building such models. First of all, being able to model the functionalities of different parts of the system provides basic knowledge of the auditory system. Often, more than one mechanism affects the perceived characteristics of an auditory object, making the analysis of the results of psychoacoustic tests complicated. The complications can be mitigated when the effects of the mechanisms can be isolated in the computational domain, making the interpretation of the results easier. Second, a very important application for such models is the evaluation of audio quality. Modern acoustic systems comprise various transfers in the acoustic, signal processing, and telecommunication domains. The measurement of quality of reproduced audio cannot be performed with simple linear measures, which calls for the usage of models of human hearing for such tasks. Ideally, the fidelity of audio systems could be estimated by computing the auditory cues reaching the conscious level. The third application of auditory models is in the diagnostics of hearing-impaired patients. The symptoms of the patient would be characterized with specific psychoacoustic tests, and the attributes of the model of human hearing were adjusted until the symptoms were explained. Optimally, this would track down the reason for the symptoms. — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 821

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clear account of the three distinct application purposes computational auditory models serve, distinguishing them from one another.
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 821
• XREF: connects to: Physically modeling sound sources enables flexible digital instruments; Acoustics, perception, and signal processing underpin sound-technology R&D; Digital audio growth made understanding human audition essential (+13 more)

Broader Connections

• Computational simulation can generate testable hypotheses about auditory physiology #expands (0.90)
• Real-time auditory models enable speech recognition, sound reproduction, and hearing aids #expands (0.85) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1564
• Psychoacoustic models govern which audio information can be discarded unnoticed #exemplifies (0.85)
• Computational sound quality models are trained on subjective listening data #qualifies (0.80) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 2332
• Computational auditory scene analysis targets human-level performance without imitating the ear #contradicts (0.80) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 2574
• Model-based impairment simulation isolates specific cochlear processing components #exemplifies (0.80)
• Percentile loudness N5 predicts how listeners judge overall noise immission loudness #exemplifies (0.80) — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 1799
• Auditory-model difference measures predict audible quality degradation #exemplifies (0.75)
• Measurement research aims to map objective data onto subjective sound quality ratings #qualifies (0.75)
• Auditory models frame perception as filtering, with hearing loss as spectral attenuation #expands (0.75)
• Hearing aid algorithms distort auditory cues yet still improve speech understanding #complicates (0.72) — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1777