Why Do We Hear Loudness?

  • loudness involves a complex transformation from amplitude domain (plus other things)

  • most recent thinking about loudness:
    a duplex perception: energetics & distance
    (e.g. loudness constancy - Zahorik, 2001; Chomyszyn, 1995; Guirao, 1989)

  • but amplitude is straightforwardly available at the auditory periphery

  • loudness-energetics is strongly correlated with power

  • loudness-distance is strongly correlated with proximity

  • identifying power and proximity is more valuable than identifying amplitude

  • brains experience loudness rather than amplitude because loudness is evolutionarily more adaptive