Communication without words: Understanding the implications of temporal structure for auditory perception

Abstract

Amplitude envelope is an important aspect of auditory perception. As one article included (Chapter 3) goes into great detail regarding this, it will not be discussed here. Included are two articles that explore the importance and influence of amplitude envelope in auditory perception research. The first article (Chapter 2) explores the role of amplitude envelope in an associative memory task, with the aim of improving the associability of auditory alarms in medical devices. Although we found no difference in performance based on amplitude envelope, the paper discusses the patterns of incorrect alarm identification and identifies potential sources of confusion. While this was not our initial goal, we feel this article is a valuable contribution that connects two distinct fields: music cognition and alarm design. The second article (Chapter 3) encompasses a meta-analysis, surveying the temporal structure of sounds used in auditory perception research, namely in the journal Attention, Perception & Psychophysics. This articles discusses several studies in which amplitude envelope has categorically influenced experimental outcomes and suggests that the standard ‘flat’ temporal structure (i.e. abrupt onset, period of sustain and abrupt offset) may not be the best way to evaluate the auditory system. The goal of this article is to determine what proportion of studies are using the standard ‘flat’ tones vs. other types of temporal structures we may encounter during everyday listening. These two articles collectively illustrate the original research I have completed on amplitude envelope during my Master’s Degree.