Gap detection thresholds improve with increasing stimulus bandwidth but not frequency region

Evidence

If a patient were to have a high gap detection threshold, we have to ask, “Is the gap detection threshold high because the patient can’t hear it? Or is it because of poor temporal processing?” This is a problem if this test were used diagnostically in isolation — a high gap detection threshold does not automatically imply poor temporal processing, particularly if the patient has a hearing loss. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 965

The bandwidth of a stimulus also has a profound effect on the ability to detect a gap. In short, gap detection thresholds decrease (get better) as the bandwidth of a stimulus is increased. Across a large number of studies, we observe that gap detection thresholds depend greatly on stimulus bandwidth. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 966

There are a number of notable features in the data presented in Figure 5–6. First, we clearly see that the gap detection threshold decreased with increasing bandwidth. The best (lowest) thresholds were achieved when the bandwidth of the stimulus is the widest. We also observe that the frequency region did not influence gap detection abilities. As a result, we can conclude that the bandwidth affects the measurement of the gap detection threshold, but not the frequency region. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 970

The type of sound used in a gap detection task, be it a pure tone, narrow band of noise, or white noise, has a strong influence on the gap detection threshold. … Note that we consider white noise to be a steady sound, even though it contains random fluctuations, due to the rapid nature of the fluctuations. The envelope of white noise is effectively flat, as white noise contains no slow amplitude variations over time. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 949

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the Milgrom/Shapiro reading on institutions: a diagnostic signal can be confounded by how the listener is positioned, like reputation signals confounded by monitoring access. — connects to: Wider stimulus bandwidths improve listeners’ ability to detect temporal gaps
• corroborated: 6 independent passages support this claim — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 965; Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 966; Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 970 (+1 more)