Loudness perception is stochastic even in normal hearing listeners.

Evidence

The results demonstrate that loudness perception of NH and HL listeners is a random variable at each stimulus level, i.e., each level has a statistical distribution across loudness categories. The development of a probabilistic model for listener loudness perception has a variety of advantages. The most common usage for probabilistic listener models is to simulate listener behavior for the development of experiments or listening devices. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2512 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Two principal components capture 90 percent of across-listener loudness variability.; Loudness perception is a random variable at every stimulus level — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2512; Loudness judgments at a fixed level vary probabilistically across categories — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2512 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Loudness perception is a random variable at every stimulus level #expands (0.95) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2512
• Loudness perception is probabilistic, with a response distribution at each stimulus level. #expands (0.95)