Auditory temporal resolution plays a critical role in the everyday experience of listening to complex acoustic patterns. The two most commonly used methods for obtaining measures of auditory temporal resolution are gap detection and amplitude modulation (AM) detection. In an attempt to develop a standardized clinical test of auditory temporal resolution, we used Zippy Estimation by Sequential Testing (ZEST), a Bayesian threshold estimation procedure, to measure gap and AM detection thresholds. In the present study, we collected gap and AM detection thresholds from more than 140 normal-hearing and hearing-impaired participants, using ZEST and a standard 1-up 2-down procedure for comparison. The results showed that the thresholds obtained with ZEST were very close to those obtained with the 1-up 2-down procedure and that the threshold estimates of ZEST approached the asymptote within 10 to 20 trials, indicating the reliability and efficiency of ZEST as a method for measuring auditory temporal resolution. In addition, our data revealed significant correlations between the gap detection thresholds and the peak sensitivity, but not the cut-off frequency, of the temporal modulation transfer function estimated from the AM detection thresholds, when the participants' ages and hearing levels were partialed out.

This study investigated differences in auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) using the paired-click paradigm between young adults frequently exposed to loud sounds and those not. Young adults with normal hearing were divided into two groups: an exposed group (n = 23), who were frequently exposed to loud sounds through music practice, and a control group (n = 21). Sound exposure levels (measured via smartwatch), hearing thresholds (0.125–16 kHz), distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) magnitudes, word intelligibility, and ABRs to single and paired clicks were obtained. For paired-click ABRs, root mean square values for the post-wave I response delayed from the wave I peak (RMS post-w1 ) were calculated for second-click responses. The exposed group exhibited higher sound exposure levels than the control group. Despite similar hearing thresholds, DPOAE magnitudes, wave I peak amplitudes and wave I/V amplitude ratio, the exposed group showed significantly lower RMS post-w1 values for second-click responses than the control group. No significant group difference was observed in word intelligibility. The results showed that frequent loud sound exposure may induce peripheral auditory changes consistent with cochlear synaptopathy (CS). This suggests that the paired-click stimulation paradigm may offer a way of detecting noise-induced CS.

Auditory temporal resolution plays a critical role in the everyday experience of listening to complex acoustic patterns. The two most commonly-used methods for assessing auditory temporal resolution are gap detection and amplitude modulation (AM) detection. In an attempt to develop a standardized clinical test of auditory temporal resolution, we used Zippy Estimation by Sequential Testing (ZEST), a Bayesian threshold estimation procedure, to measure gap and AM detection thresholds. ZEST is considered to be one of the most efficient threshold estimation methods and is more efficient than standard transformed up-down procedures. We conducted simulations and experiments, in which we measured gap and AM detection thresholds using ZEST in two stages. In the first stage, we tried to identify ZEST parameters that would yield efficient and precise threshold measurements. The results showed that with appropriate sets of parameter values it was possible to complete the threshold measurements within 20 trials with reasonable precision. In the second stage, we used bimodal distributions consisting of the threshold distributions of normal-hearing and hearing-impaired participants, which were obtained in the first stage, as the initial probability density functions for ZEST. The use of these bimodal distributions further speeded up the threshold measurements.

Cochlear synaptopathy (CS), defined as the loss of ribbon synapses between inner hair cells and auditory nerve fibers due to aging or loud sound exposure, is considered an early lesion in hearing loss development. Therefore, its detection may serve as a key to the early diagnosis. CS preferentially affects low-spontaneous rate (low-SR) fibers, while high-SR fibers are relatively preserved. We proposed a method using the auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) to paired-click stimuli, for a noninvasive assessment of this selective neural damage in humans. We focused on the fact that low-SR fibers, compared to high-SR fibers, are less affected by adaptation and exhibit delayed firing. It was expected that the activity of low-SR fibers is reflected to root mean square values for the response within a range delayed from the wave I peak (RMSpost-w1) for the second click. In Experiment 1, the RMSpost-w1 values significantly declined with age. In Experiment 2, young adults frequently exposed to loud sounds through music practice had significantly lower values than age- and hearing-matched controls. These findings suggest that ABRs using the paired-click paradigm reflect age- and noise-related CS, supporting their potential utility as a noninvasive diagnostic marker.

Gap detection refers to the perceptual ability to detect brief silences in auditory stimuli. This study investigates temporal discrimination in relation to the perception and processing of gaps. Experiments were conducted to measure gap discrimination thresholds using markers of different frequencies. The results reveal that the threshold for gap discrimination varies depending on the frequency separation between the leading and trailing markers. Notably, when the markers have identical frequencies, the threshold increases monotonically up to the study limit of 100 ms, with a slope that deviates from Weber’s law. To better comprehend these findings, a previously proposed neural model of gap detection was expanded to account for discrimination. This model shows good compatibility with the experimental results and is able to unify gap detection with temporal discrimination. The model also provides a possible mechanism for the pacemaker in the internal clock hypothesis.

In an attempt to develop tests of auditory temporal resolution using gap detection, we conducted computer simulations of Zippy Estimation by Sequential Testing (ZEST), an adaptive Bayesian threshold estimation procedure, for measuring gap detection thresholds. The results showed that the measures of efficiency and precision of ZEST changed with the mean and standard deviation (SD) of the initial probability density function implemented in ZEST. Appropriate combinations of mean and SD values led to efficient ZEST performance; i.e., the threshold estimates converged to their true values after 10 to 15 trials.

Decision-making is an important component in the perception-action coupling required for athletes to achieve fine performance. Signal detection theory (SDT) provides a means of quantifying athletes' decision-making processes, based on their ability to discriminate between different types of stimuli (sensitivity) and the locations of their response criteria along a decision axis in a given situation. Studies have shown differences in these two indices between athletes and less-experienced counterparts, although these studies were limited to unidimensional decision-making problems. In the present study, SDT analysis was applied to two-dimensional decision-making by volleyball players regarding their opponents' attacks, using a four-alternative forced-choice task combining judgments of the type (spike or tip) and direction (cross-court or down-the-line) of attacks. Furthermore, a temporal occlusion task was used to reveal the timecourses of changes in sensitivity and the location of response criteria relating to judgments of attack type and direction. There were three groups of participants, eight top-league players, ten collegiate players, and ten novices. The results showed clear effects of expertise and distinct timecourses for the two types of judgment. For the attack type judgments, the sensitivities of the top-league players were relatively low at the early occlusion points, and their response criteria were biased toward judging attacking actions as spikes. At the late occlusion points, their sensitivity peaked, and there was no bias in their response criteria. For the directional judgments, the sensitivity of the three groups improved as the occlusion point advanced, while their response criteria tended to become more similar, which was not the case for the attack type judgments. These results are discussed together with previous studies of volleyball players' decision-making and judgments regarding deceptive actions in sports.

質感とは，主に視覚・聴覚・触覚の情報から得られる物体の素材（例：鉄，木）や性質（例：粗さ，光沢）の包括的概念である．質感は，我々の活動において重要な役割を持つ．近年では質感認知は，複数の感覚情報に基づいた統計的推論によって行われるとされ，その統計的推論を行う神経基盤を調べる研究も存在する．本論文では，多感覚統合の研究を通して質感認知のメカニズムについて議論し，質感の情報処理の解明に新たな視点を与える．

Auditory temporal resolution plays a critical role in the everyday experience of listening to complex acoustic patterns. Amplitude modulation detection thresholds are widely used to measure auditory temporal resolution. In an attempt to develop a standardized clinical test of auditory temporal resolution, we used ZEST (Zippy Estimation by Sequential Testing, a Bayesian threshold estimation procedure, to measure amplitude modulation detection thresholds. ZEST utilizes prior knowledge about a listener's thresholds, as represented by a probability density function of the thresholds, and psychometric functions of the listener's responses. This paper reports a preliminary study in which ZEST parameters that could be used for measurements of amplitude modulation detection thresholds were sought. For this purpose, we created histograms of the detection thresholds for a wide range of modulation frequencies, measured the psychometric functions of amplitude modulation detection, and performed computer simulations of ZEST threshold estimation. The results suggested that, with appropriately-set parameters, ZEST allows for the accurate estimation of amplitude modulation detection thresholds within 20 trials.

In Dükers action theory Anspannung, which we translated as "psychological tension" (PT), is described as a directly experienced valid indicator for the extent of mental strain. In German-speaking regions the Category Partitioning technique (CP) has proven to be a useful method for accurately quantifying the experienced PT. Outside Germany, however, the concept of PT and the CP technique for measuring it have found little resonance, as it seemed that the central terms could not be meaningfully translated into English. To challenge these language barriers, test the applicability and usefulness of the PT concept, and evaluate the CP scaling method, we used the CP technique to quantify the level of PT required by 32 imagined everyday situations. To do this we adapted descriptions of the everyday situations from the German into English, Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin Chinese, and enrolled N = 158 participants from five countries (Canada, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan). The results show a remarkable agreement between the data collected in the five cohorts. The experimental data point to the universality of the experience of mental load in culturally and linguistically diverse societies. They also point to the need to design scaling techniques so that respondents can describe their immediate sensations as they would in everyday life.

INTRODUCTION:Past studies have provided evidence that the effects of tactile stimulation on binocular rivalry are mediated by primitive features (orientation and spatial frequency) common in vision and touch. In this study, we examined whether such effects on binocular rivalry can be obtained through the roughness of naturalistic objects. In three experiments, the total dominant time of visual percepts of two objects was measured under binocular rivalry when participants touched one of the objects.RESULT:In Experiment 1, the total dominant time for the image of artificial turf and bathmat was prolonged by congruent tactile stimulation and shortened by incongruent tactile stimulation. In Experiment 2, we used the same stimuli but rotated their visual images in opposite directions. The dominant time for either image was prolonged by congruent tactile stimulation. In Experiment 3, we used different types of stimuli, smooth marble and rough fabric, and noted significant effects of the congruent and incongruent tactile stimulation on the dominant time of visual percepts.CONCLUSION:These three experiments demonstrated that visuo-tactile interaction on binocular rivalry can be mediated by roughness.

Perception of a briefly presented target is impaired when a sparse surrounding mask (e.g., four-dot) persists after target offset compared to when the target and mask offset together (i.e., object substitution masking [OSM]). Previous studies have reported amask preview effect inwhichOSM is largely attenuated by prior presentation of the mask. Here, we investigated how breaking object continuity of the previewed mask affects the mask preview effect. Introducing an abrupt surface color change of the previewed mask at target onset disrupted the beneficial effect of mask preview, that is, OSMwas reinstated (Experiment 1). Themasking induced bymask color change exhibited the same two characteristics as conventional OSM: target location specificity and non-necessity of voluntary attention to themask (Experiment 2). These results suggest that a sudden change in surface color breaks object continuity of the previewed mask and causes themask to be represented as a new one, which triggers OSM anew.

The purpose of this study was to compare the benefits of 4-weeks of velocity-based training (VBT) using different augmented feedback (AugFb) types and the frequency of AugFb, and whether adaptations are retained 10 days post-training. Thirty-seven collegiate male rugby players were divided into groups that received immediate-feedback (ImFb; n=9), visual-feedback (ViFb; n=10), average-feedback (AvgFb; n=10) and no-feedback (NoFb; n=8) during each VBT session consisting of 3 sets of 5 repetitions of loaded jump squats. The ImFb group received AugFb regarding lifting velocity under loaded jump squats (LV-JS) following every jump, whereas LV-JS measures were averaged following each set of jumps and presented to the AvgFb group. The loaded jump squats were video-recorded and displayed as kinematic feedback for the ViFb group following each set, although no feedback was provided for the NoFb group. LV-JS measures were reported at baseline, during each training session and 10-days post training. LV-JS measures were significantly greater for the ImFb Group compared to the other groups during a number of post-baseline time points (P<0.05). Furthermore, at 4-weeks of VBT and 10 days post-retention, effect size (ES) calculations showed that LV-JS measures were greater with moderate to large effects for the ImFb group compared to the NoFb (ES=1.02-1.25), AvgFb (ES=0.78-0.82) and ViFb (ES=0.74-1.60), respectively. However, LV-JS measures were reduced with moderate to large effects 10 days post-retention for the ViFb (ES=-0.60) and NoFb (ES=-0.85) groups. Providing LV-JS feedback following each jump appears to optimize performance and should be considered as a training tool during VBT.

There is ample evidence that motor learning changes the function of perceptual systems. Previous studies examining the interactions between speech production and perception have shown that the discrimination of phonetic contrasts characterized by the difference in articulatory place features is altered following their production changes caused by the perturbation of auditory feedback. The present study focused on a voiced–voiceless contrast in stop consonants, which is characterized by a temporal articulatory parameter, voice-onset time (VOT). In the experiment, we manipulated the participants’ motor functions concerning VOT using a cross-categorical auditory feedback (CAF) paradigm (Mitsuya et al. in J Acoust Soc Am 135:2986–2994, 2014), in which a pre-recorded syllable sound starting with a voiced stop consonant (/da/) was fed back simultaneously with the participant’s utterance of a voiceless stop consonant (/ta/), and vice versa. The VOT difference between /da/ and /ta/ productions was increased by the CAF, which is consistent with the result of Mitsuya’s study. In addition, we conducted perceptual identification tasks of /da/-/ta/ continuum stimuli varying in VOT before and after the CAF task, and found that the identification function became sharper after as compared to before the CAF task. A significant positive correlation between such production and perception changes was also found. On the basis of these results, we consider that the change in motor function concerning VOT affected voiced–voiceless perceptual processing. The present study is the first to show the involvement of the speech production system in the perception of phonetic contrasts characterized by articulatory temporal features.

At EVER2017, we reported that visual detection of a temporal gap becomes difficult when spatial frequency separation is introduced between markers delimiting the gap. In that report, however, gap thresholds were measured separately, in different runs, for within-frequency and across-frequency gap detection. Therefore, our previous findings may be simply explained by the effect of spatial-frequency specific adaptation on visible persistence. Here, we reassessed the across-frequency interference in gap detection using a procedure uncontaminated by spatial-frequency specific adaptation. Gaussian-windowed sinusoidal gratings were used for gap markers. Spatial frequencies of the leading and trailing markers were manipulated to be either 2 or 4 cpd. Gap thresholds were measured using a two-interval, two-alternative forced choice method with a two-down/one-up interleaved adaptive staircase procedure targeting 70.7% correct detection: Four staircases corresponding to the four combinations of marker frequencies were interleaved in a single run and randomly selected in each trial. Sixteen observers with normal vision completed two runs, and the mean of estimated thresholds between two runs for each condition were subject to analysis. Gap thresholds for across-frequency markers (2-4 and 4-2 conditions) were significantly higher than those for within-frequency markers (2-2 and 4-4 conditions). For within-frequency gap detection, gap thresholds were significantly higher for 4 cpd than for 2 cpd markers, which was consistent with the well-known decreased temporal resolution with increasing spatial frequency. We confirmed our previous findings that temporal gaps bounded by different frequency markers are more difficult to detect than those bounded by identical frequency markers. We propose that perceptual discontinuity signaling the frequency separation interferes with gap representation and longer gaps are required for correct gap detection.

This study investigated the effects of declined accommodation on reading performance in non-native and native languages. Eighteen native Japanese speakers participated: eight presbyopes and ten non-presbyopes. In the experiment, participants were asked to scan, or sequentially read six-word items presented in two-line texts, identify a non-word target as quickly as possible, and indicate its location. In addition to the participant type (presbyopes/non-presbyopes) and language of the reading material (Japanese/English), viewing distance (35 cm/70 cm) and contrast (18%/100%) were manipulated. The results showed that the presbyopes exhibited worse reading performance than the non-presbyopes at closer distances irrespective of the language. Notably, the inferiority of the presbyopes’ reading performance was more pronounced when they read in a non-native language than in their native language. It should be noted that differences in reading performance between the presbyopes and non-presbyopes were subtle for high-contrast words at longer viewing distances, indicating that age- or cohort-related perceptual, motor, and cognitive differences were almost negligible, but accommodation mattered. These results suggest that the effect of accommodation decline is influenced by the language of the reading material.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate whether speech perception would reflect small latency changes in subcortical speech representation. Method Twelve native Japanese listeners participated in the experiment. Those listeners participated in speech identification task and auditory brainstem response (ABR) measurement using /d/-/t/ continuum stimuli varying in voice onset time (VOT) with manipulation of the amplitude of initial noise (consonant) portion, the duration of which corresponded to VOT. Results Increasing the noise portion amplitude lengthened subcortical representation of VOT, which is the latency difference between ABRs synchronizing to the onsets of initial noise and following periodic (vowel) portions (VOTABR) and made listeners likely to perceive the stimuli with ambiguous VOT as a voiceless stop /t/. In addition, the amount of VOTABR lengthening was close to that of the VOT boundary shortening. Conclusion A few milliseconds of difference in subcortical speech representation are important for the perception of speech sounds with ambiguous acoustic cues. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.7728695.