The choice of averaging unit among level, pressure, or intensity critically shapes threshold data.

Evidence

Because the results of the same person in different trials (intraindividual differences) as well as the results from different subjects (interindividual differences) can vary substantially, it is advisable to perform several runs of the same type of experiment and to average the data. This means that after an experiment a large number of data points are available for which an average value has to be calculated. The choice of the unit for the averaging procedure among the stimulus magnitude measures (i.e. among level, sound pressure, or sound intensity) plays a crucial role. — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 139

Categorization

• QUESTION: Why does the averaging unit so strongly shape results? Worth chasing the specific mathematical reason for choosing one measure.