dc.contributor.advisor |
Professor John Irwin |
en |
dc.contributor.author |
Hautus, Michael J. (Michael John) |
en |
dc.date.accessioned |
2008-03-12T03:59:50Z |
en |
dc.date.available |
2008-03-12T03:59:50Z |
en |
dc.date.issued |
1993 |
en |
dc.identifier.citation |
Thesis (PhD--Psychology)--University of Auckland, 1993. |
en |
dc.identifier.uri |
http://hdl.handle.net/2292/2417 |
en |
dc.description.abstract |
The ability of human observers to discriminate aural differences in the
amplitude of sinusoids, narrow-band noise, and wide-band noise was measured by the
rating method of detection theory. Although each sinusoid (always 1000 Hz) was
presented at a fixed amplitude, its amplitude on any trial was drawn from one of two
Rayleigh probability distributions that differed in mean amplitude. Similarly, the
amplitudes of the narrow-band noises were distributed as the Rayleigh distribution by
virtue of the reciprocal relation between their bandwidth (100 Hz centred on 1000 Hz)
and duration (10 ms). The amplitudes of the wide-band noises were distributed as chi
with 82 degrees of freedom. A detection-theoretic model based on chi-square density
functions was fitted to the obtained receiver operating characteristics (ROCs) and
psychometric functions. The best-fitting ROCs required, on the average, 4.1 degrees of
freedom for the 100-ms sinusoids and 7.3 degrees of freedom for the Rayleigh noise.
The best-fitting psychometric function for both the Rayleigh noise and the sinusoids
required about one degree of freedom. The results obtained for these two waveforms
were not significantly different. The obtained ROCs for the wide-band noise were well
fitted by the chi-square model with 82 degrees of freedom and the psychometric
functions with 6.1 degrees of freedom. The best-fitting parameters for the wide- and
narrow-band waveforms were significantly different. Furthermore, the performance of
the observers on the nmow-band waveforms was closer to that of the corresponding
ideal observer than was their performance on the wide-band waveforms. For the
narrow-band noise and sinusoids, the duration of the waveform affected the variability
of the best-fitting degrees of freedom for the obtained ROCs. This variability was
greater for waveforms of 10-ms duration (Rayleigh noise and sinusoids) than for
sinusoids of 100-ms duration; this greater variability was interpreted as stemming from
the difficulty of correctly windowing short-duration waveforms. Sound pressure level
had no effect on the amplitude resolution of observers for four different levels of
Rayleigh noise and of sinusoids. Therefore Weber's Law, and not the near miss to
Weber's Law, holds for these waveforms. The chi-square detection-theoretic model
provided a good fit to the data from all experiments, but not as good as predicted by
statistical theory. It was concluded that the chi-square model provides a close
approximation to the underlying mechanisms involved in the amplitude resolution of
Gaussian noise processes. |
en |
dc.format |
Scanned from print thesis |
en |
dc.language.iso |
en |
en |
dc.publisher |
ResearchSpace@Auckland |
en |
dc.relation.ispartof |
PhD Thesis - University of Auckland |
en |
dc.relation.isreferencedby |
UoA517602 |
en |
dc.rights |
Items in ResearchSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. |
en |
dc.rights.uri |
https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/docs/uoa-docs/rights.htm |
en |
dc.title |
Amplitude resolution by human and ideal observers for Rayleigh noise and other Gaussian processes |
en |
dc.type |
Thesis |
en |
thesis.degree.discipline |
Psychology |
en |
thesis.degree.grantor |
The University of Auckland |
en |
thesis.degree.level |
Doctoral |
en |
thesis.degree.name |
PhD |
en |
dc.subject.marsden |
Fields of Research::380000 Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences::380100 Psychology |
en |
dc.rights.holder |
Copyright: The author |
en |
pubs.local.anzsrc |
17 - Psychology and Cognitive Sciences |
en |
pubs.org-id |
Faculty of Science |
en |
dc.identifier.wikidata |
Q112851862 |
|