Psychoacoustics Laboratory

Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences
635 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215
Principal Investigator: Gerald Kidd, Jr.

Visit the Psychoacoustics Laboratory for more information.

Research in this laboratory is in human auditory perception, both experimental and theoretical. Our empirical work consists of studies of auditory perception of listeners with normal hearing and listeners with sensorineural hearing loss. Our theoretical work consists of evaluating decision-theory-based models in accounting for our empirical findings.

The lab’s current research involves studying the perception and processing of complex sounds in multiple-sound environments. Our areas of interest include the various factors—peripheral and central—that cause masking between sound sources. Dr. Kidd and his group are currently investigating the factors governing the perception of elements of auditory patterns, the formation and segregation of auditory images, speech perception, and sound source identification.

The Psychoacoustics Laboratory covers approximately 850 square feet. In addition, it has a shared 350-square-foot shop/instrumentation room immediately adjacent. The lab includes two sets of three-room sound attenuating booths. Associated with the booths are several microcomputers and racks of audio-frequency electronic equipment. The computers and electronic equipment are used to generate, control, and measure stimuli used in psychophysical experiments and are wired to communicate with subject terminals located inside the booths. We have a local network for sharing peripheral devices for communication among laboratory computers, and for communication with the campus network. Also available within the department are a variety of audiometric instruments, including audiometers, evoked-potential units, and otoacoustics immittance and emission measurement devices.