Successful communication requires multiple distinct auditory perception abilities beyond simple detection.

Evidence

Although many audiologists routinely collect psychophysical data, the audiologist makes a very limited set of measurements on perceptual abilities. Primary and common assessments include the audiogram, a measurement of the speech recognition threshold (SRT), and word recognition scores. However, these measurements do not characterize the wide range of perceptual abilities that underlie the ability to communicate in everyday environments. Successful communication requires representation of sound intensity, frequency, temporal characteristics, and information from the two ears. Deficits in any one of these representations can lead to deficits in the ability to communicate in the variety of environments encountered by humans. Consequently, we can easily argue that audiologists should more thoroughly assess various auditory perceptions. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 34

Categorization

• XREF: Sets up the chapter’s recurring contrast of audiogram-only testing versus fuller perceptual batteries — relevant to any audiology or sensory-assessment reading.