The nature of acoustic response: the relation between sound intensity and the magnitude of responses in the cochlea.

Abstract

The relation between the intensity of stimulus and the magnitude of cochlear response was studied in the guinea pig for representative tones from 100 to 10,000. For all but the high intensities of sound, this relation in most instances is linear, but cases were found in which it is better expressed as a simple power function. These results show that the source of the Weber-Fechner function must be sought in processes interposed between the cochlear response and auditory perception. At high intensities the relation between stimulus and response changes rapidly until a maximum response is reached. This change in the form of the function is marked by the introduction of harmonic frequencies, which fact may explain the rise of subjective tones in auditory perception. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)