Research in Normal Threshold of Hearing

Abstract

The results of the 1935 and 1936 United States Public Health Survey have been used as the basis in determining American standards for the threshold of normal hearing. Results of several investigations, including one by Dadson and King in 1952, suggest a significant discrepancy between their data and their interpretation of the current American standards. Translation of the United States Public Health Survey threshold data to sound pressures at the entrance to the ear canal can be made from recent measurements; this reduces the apparent discrepancy considerably, although it does not remove it. The Dadson-King study raises several questions. First, can the threshold of hearing be related to locality? Second, can the discrepancy be explained on the basis of the differences in the selection of subjects? Third, can testing conditions account for the difference in results? Fourth, can the difference in response be due to the individualn characteristics of the