Relation of Induced Tinnitus to Physical Characteristics of the Inducing Stimuli

Abstract

After observers were exposed to intense pure‐tone and broad‐band acoustic stimuli, their temporary threshold shifts were measured, and they were asked to match the pitch of any resulting tinnitus by manipulating the frequency of an adjustable low‐level pure tone in the opposite ear. It was found that both the frequency of tinnitus and the frequency of the tone used for the pitch match increased as the frequency of the traumatic stimulus increased, but maximum loss frequency and tinnitus frequency did not coincide. Although the observers were quite reliable in their judgments of tinnitus elicited by a stimulus, interobserver variability was considerable.