Auditory-space processing in an ecologically realistic environment

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25330209
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Perceptual information processing
• Research Institution: Aichi Shukutoku University
• Principal Investigator: Maki Katuhiro 愛知淑徳大学, 人間情報学部, 准教授 (50447033)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): YAMAKAWA Kimiko 尚絅大学, 文化言語学部, 准教授 (80455196) ; AMANO Shigeaki 愛知淑徳大学, 人間情報学部, 教授 (90396119)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 空間 / 音源定位 / 反射音 / 中脳 / 聴覚モデル / 音声 / ニューロン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we first used an auditory model to clarify the generation mechanism of the mid-brain physiological phenomenon that uses reflected sounds advantageously for spatial perception. From the results of a computer simulation, it became clear that neurons exhibit a high level of spatial selectivity to reflected sounds when mid-brain neurons have a wide frequency selectivity. Next, we verified the effects of reflected sounds on speech in spatial perception tests on human subjects. As a result, it transpired that the localization accuracy of the test subjects was greater in the rearwards direction due to the effects of reflected sounds from the shoulders, at least for vowel sounds. These findings have thus verified from a comprehensive viewpoint － encompassing physiology, modeling and psychology － that there are cases where reflected sounds are used effectively by mammalian auditory systems.

Free Research Field

聴覚科学，音響学