Physiological tests measure sound representation, never the perception itself

Evidence

In fact, this may never happen: Physiological assessment does not measure hearing, but rather measures the representation of sound within the auditory system. As a result, we continue to rely on patients’ reports of their perceptions to make both scientific advancements and clinical decisions. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 33

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies the key distinction between measuring neural representation of sound versus measuring the subjective percept.
• SEED: Article angle: why the gold standard of hearing assessment remains subjective self-report despite a century of objective technology.