Level discrimination tests differ in whether silent gaps separate the compared tones.
Evidence
In audiology, level discrimination is normally evaluated by the use of the SISI test and the Liischer/Zwislocki test. These tests use modulated tones or direct increases in level without pauses between the presentations. Another test which is effective in the early detection of acoustic neurinoma uses 200-ms tone pulses with a relatively long Gaussian rise/decay time of 20 ms. In contrast with the two tests mentioned, there are silent intervals of 200-ms duration between the tones to be compared. The measurements are performed at 6 frequencies in octave steps between 0.25 and 8 kHz. The data are measured at a level of 30 dB above hearing threshold, and the patient has to judge whether the loudness of the consecutive tone pulses is the same or different. The level difference of the alternating tones can be increased in 0.25 dB steps. — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 1897
Categorization
Category: Factual Claims
- DEFINE: Distinguishes the SISI and Luescher/Zwislocki tests (continuous tone modulation) from the gap-separated neurinoma-detection test — a useful differentiation of audiometric methods.
Related
- A gap-based level-discrimination test detects acoustic neurinoma early (similarity 0.94)
- Acoustic neurinoma distinctly elevates level-difference thresholds while most hearing impairments do not. (similarity 0.84)
- Sequential tone comparison yields finer discrimination than modulation detection. (similarity 0.80)
- Humans can typically discriminate level differences of 1 to 2 dB (similarity 0.78)
- Healthy hearing detects 1 to 2 dB level changes at 60 dB (similarity 0.78)