Modeling of auditory perception for noise evalation based on loudness-perception characteristics of older adults

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24653219
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Experimental psychology
• Research Institution: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: KURAKATA Kenji 独立行政法人産業技術総合研究所, ヒューマンライフテクノロジー研究部門, グループ付き (90356931)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 聴覚 / 音響心理 / 音の大きさ / 聴覚モデル / 高齢者 / 加齢効果 / 騒音評価

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The frequency-weighting A used for noise measurement was determined based on hearing characteristics expressed as equal-loudness-level contours. The time-averaged, A-weighted sound level (LAeq) of a sound corresponds well with the perceived loudness. However, good correspondence between LAeq and the perceived loudness is confined to cases in which listeners are young people with normal hearing. In this study, psychoacoustic experiments were conducted to investigate loudness of various sounds perceived by young adults and older adults aged over 60. Analyses of results revealed that sound levels weighted by older listeners' hearing characteristics matched the judged loudness better than LAeq values did. Based on the results, a noise evaluation method was proposed, which can evaluate noises for senior citizens more accurately than the conventional method using A-weighting.

Free Research Field

聴覚心理学