A temporal integration model for loudness perception of repeated impulsive sounds

A loudness perception model for repeated impulsive sounds that have exponentially rising and decaying envelopes was studied. The loudness of repeated impulsive sound is the same as that of a single burst of impulsive sound up to a certain repetition rate. A critical repetition rate R₀ beyond which the loudness increases with increase in repetition rate was found to lie between 0.2 and 0.7 Hz. In other words, the critical time period, 1/R₀, was 2–5 s. If it is assumed, therefore, that our auditory system has a capacity to hold loudness sensation for 2–5 s, the result of our experiment can be explained. An integrator of loudness which has a rise time constant of 100 ms and a decay time constant of 5 s yields a good descriptor of the experimental results.