The Detectability of Repetitive, Periodic Impulses.

Abstract : Concern for predicting aural detectability of complex natural sounds has generally focused on steady state tonal and broadband signals. Procedures for calculating detectability of such signals are reasonably well established and validated. Large errors of prediction may occur, however, when these procedures are applied to other classes of signals, such as high crest factor, short duration, impulsive wavetrains. The experimentation described here was intended to support analyses of detection performance that could lead to general quantitative procedures for predicting the audibility of repetitive, periodic impulsive signals. Three separate studies were conducted using similar procedures. The first study quantified the detectability of individual impulses. The second study was directed toward the detectability of multiple impulses of varying periodic repetition rates. The third study explored hypotheses about detection strategies suitable for modelling the audibility of repetitive impulsive wavetrains.