Abstract
The purpose of this study was to measure air-conduction (AC) and bone-conduction (BC)
hearing thresholds with pure-tone and filtered sound effect stimuli using standard
audiometric equipment. A group of 20 young, normal-hearing listeners participated
in the study. Pure-tone stimuli were 250, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz. Sound effect
stimuli were 12 natural sounds that were spectrally limited to an octave bandwidth
centered at either 250, 500,1000, 2000, or 4000 Hz. The AC and BC detection thresholds
were measured using a clinical audiometer (Madsen Orbiter 922) with a B-71 bone oscillator
and TDH-50 earphones. Results indicated that detection thresholds for the pure-tone
and corresponding octave-band sound effect stimuli were within 3 to 4 dB of each other
for both AC and BC testing. The findings support the notion that octave-filtered sound
effects are a viable alternative to pure-tone stimuli for use in audiology clinics.
Key Words
Air- and bone-conduction thresholds - detection, sound effect stimuli
