The Influence of Loudness on the Discrimination of Musical Sound Factors

This study investigated the effects of differing loudness levels on discrimination of pitch, rhythm, duration, loudness, timbre, and tonal memory. Subjects were 101 university undergraduates, and comparisons were made for music versus nonmusic majors, males versus females, and those with exposure versus nonexposure to loud sounds. Analysis of variance procedures revealed the significant influence of varying loudness levels on rhythm, duration, loudness, and timbre discriminations. Music and nonmusic majors responded similarly, though several interactions were noted. No major differences appeared concerning the sex variable nor the exposure to loudness grouping; however, the nonexposure subjects fared more favorably in a preponderance of mean data comparisons (15 of 21)— a trend most marked among the nonmusic majors. Implications were that less intense presentation levels should be employed to enhance timbre discriminations, louder presentation levels to enhance perception and discrimination of loudness or dynamic variation. Also noted was the need to view cautiously those test norms and results acquired without rigorous control of loudness presentation levels.