Comparison of the Auditory Threshold as Measured by Individual Pure Tone and by Békésy Audiometry

Abstract

Twenty subjects, age 20 to 58 years, were clinically screened to exclude gross otological pathology. Their auditory thresholds were then determined both by Békésy audiometry and by conventional individual pure-tone audiometry by the method of limits, in 2 db steps. Measurement of the threshold of hearing by either method gave essentially similar results, and the reliabilities of the methods were of the same order for all frequencies tested. When both tests were repeated after an interval of one week, mean improvements of 1 to 2 db were found at all frequencies by the Békésy method, and in all but one by the individual pure tone method. In both methods, however, improvements were significant only at 1000 and 3000 cps.