The measurement scale chosen for averaging radically affects psychoacoustic data summaries

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

Category: Causal Relationships

• XREF: Links to the general statistics principle that the choice of mean (arithmetic vs geometric) depends on the underlying scale — parallels measurement-theory issues in psychophysics (Stevens’ power law).
• QUESTION: Which specific scale unit is recommended for averaging auditory threshold data, and why does the choice matter? Likely covered in following text (Fig 1.10).

Related

• The choice of averaging unit among level, pressure, or intensity critically shapes threshold data. (similarity 0.95)
• Averaging across dB versus intensity units changes the computed mean (similarity 0.91)
• The median resists stimulus-scale transformations, unlike arithmetic and geometric means (similarity 0.82)
• Median and interquartile range stay scale-invariant where means fail (similarity 0.80)
• Hearing-impaired listeners vary more than normal hearers in quiet threshold, complicating averaging (similarity 0.79)
• Thresholds are measured by presenting many stimulus levels and fitting a psychometric function (similarity 0.78)
• Spatial averaging of measurements suppresses interference artifacts while preserving spectral information (similarity 0.78)
• Psychoacoustic results depend on experimental procedure and sensitivity rises with alternatives. (similarity 0.78)
• Experimental results in psychoacoustics depend on the measurement procedure used (similarity 0.78)
• Perceived loudness meters must weight frequencies as a compromise across sound levels. (similarity 0.78)