Thresholds are measured by presenting many stimulus levels and fitting a psychometric function

Evidence

The method of constant stimuli is used to quantify thresholds. To this end, the experimenter chooses a relatively large number of sound event attribute values around the assumed value of the absolute or difference threshold. The listening test is conducted for each attribute value with a detection or discrimination task, or preferably with a multiple-interval forced-choice task to avoid bias. The task must be repeated a considerable number of times, and a psychophysical function such as that shown in Figure 8.2 is obtained. The actual value for the threshold can then be selected to be, for example, the value of the abscissa where the function has the value 50%. — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 913

Categorization

Category: Definitional Content

• XREF: Classic psychophysics methodology — connects to Fechner/Stevens tradition and signal detection theory. For a reader building an understanding of acoustic communication applications, threshold measurement is foundational.

Related

• Constant-stims method maps full psychophysical functions rather than single thresholds (similarity 0.92)
• Accuracy and function-shape information trade off against speed in threshold measurement (similarity 0.89)
• Thresholds can be measured by tracing stimulus change until perception flips (similarity 0.88)
• Thresholds are statistical detection probabilities, not absolute cutoffs (similarity 0.87)
• Thresholds and auditory scales link physical sound attributes to perceived auditory events (similarity 0.87)
• Constant stimuli remains gold standard but is too slow for routine use (similarity 0.85)
• The method of limits estimates thresholds by averaging ascending and descending detection levels (similarity 0.85)
• Threshold estimates reflect both ear sensitivity and listener response bias (similarity 0.84)
• Chance-level guessing forces threshold criteria above 50% to reduce false positives (similarity 0.84)
• The method of adjustment is flexible but yields listener-dependent thresholds (similarity 0.83)
• Ascending and descending stimulus runs are averaged to derive perceptual thresholds (similarity 0.83)
• The method of constant stimuli needs prior knowledge of testable levels (similarity 0.83)
• Constant-stimuli threshold measurement is time consuming because many trials are needed per level. (similarity 0.83)
• Absolute threshold is the minimum detectable sound level without external noise (similarity 0.82)
• Method-of-limits thresholds are distorted by subjects’ response tendencies (similarity 0.82)