Reaction time spans the full hearing range where psychometric functions cover only 10-15 dB

Evidence

In a detection experiment, the reaction time is defined as the amount of time required for a listener to detect a stimulus (e.g., by pressing a button), and it is generally measured from stimulus onset. Although reaction time is not commonly considered a psychoacoustic measure, reaction time measurements have become increasingly valuable for assessing components of auditory processing. Notably, reaction time experiments allow measurements for detection of sounds across a large range of stimulus levels. Psychoacoustic detection experiments do not allow this, as the relevant measures for detection are either absolute threshold or percent detection. A typical psychometric function only covers a range of about 10 to 15 dB. Reaction times, on the other hand, can be measured to sounds presented at levels across the full dynamic range of hearing. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 787

Categorization

• XREF: Plugs into the earlier chapters’ coverage of psychometric functions and absolute threshold detection methods.
• DEFINE: Defines reaction time as a psychoacoustic measure and distinguishes it from the ceiling-limited psychometric function.