Hearing selectivity is modeled via critical-band and excitation intermediate values

Evidence

The frequency selectivity of our hearing system can be approximated by subdividing the intensity of the sound into parts that fall into critical bands. Such an approximation leads to the notion of critical-band intensities. If instead of an infinitely steep slope of the hypothetical critical-band filters, the actual slope produced in our hearing system is considered, then such a procedure leads to an intermediate value called excitation. Mostly, these values are not used as linear values but as logarithmic values similar to sound pressure level. The critical-band level and the excitation level are the corresponding values that play an important role in many models as intermediate values. — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 946

Categorization

• DEFINE: Distinguishes critical-band intensity/level (idealized steep filters) from excitation/level (real filter slopes), both used logarithmically.