PSYCHOACOUSTICS: Software package for psychoacoustics

Current research in the field of psychoacoustics is mostly conducted using a computer to generate and present the stimuli and to collect the responses of the subject. However, writing the computer software to do this is time-consuming and requires technical expertise that is not possessed by many would-be researchers. We have developed a software package that makes it possible to set up and conduct a wide variety of experiments in psychoacoustics without the need for time-consuming programming or technical expertise. The only requirements are a personal computer (PC) with a good-quality sound card and a set of headphones. Parameters defining the stimuli and procedure are entered via boxes on the screen and drop-down menus. Possible experiments include measurement of the absolute threshold, simultaneous and forward masking (including notched-noise masking), comodulation masking release, intensity and frequency discrimination, amplitude-modulation detection and discrimination, gap detection, discrimination of interaural time and level differences, measurement of sensitivity to temporal fine structure, and measurement of the binaural masking level difference. The software is intended to be useful both for researchers and for students who want to try psychoacoustic experiments for themselves, which can be very valuable in helping them gain a deeper understanding of auditory perception.