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AUDITORY SENSITIVITY AND EQUAL LOUDNESS IN THE SQUIRREL MONKEY (SAIMIRI SCIUREUS) 1
Author(s) -
Green Swayzer
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
journal of the experimental analysis of behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1938-3711
pISSN - 0022-5002
DOI - 10.1901/jeab.1975.23-255
Subject(s) - loudness , squirrel monkey , saimiri sciureus , reinforcement , acoustics , audiology , tone (literature) , mathematics , sensitivity (control systems) , bar (unit) , psychology , stimulus (psychology) , sound pressure , communication , physics , neuroscience , engineering , medicine , social psychology , art , literature , electronic engineering , meteorology , psychotherapist
The effects of the type of reinforcer on auditory sensitivity and equal‐loudness data were determined in the squirrel monkey. The monkeys, restrained and provided with earphones, were conditioned to depress and hold a bar down in the presence of a stimulus light and then to terminate the holding response after onset of a tone. In Experiment 1, the specified behavior sequence postponed electric shock; in Experiment 2, a food reinforcer was dependent on bar release during the tone. The shape of the auditory sensitivity function and the acuity level at each frequency were the same for the two procedures. The audible frequency range extended from below 0.125 kHz (lowest frequency used) to 46 kHz. Sensitivity was maximum at 8 kHz. Latency of bar release following tone onset served as the basic data for constructing a family of equal‐loudness contours. The type of reinforcer appeared not to be a determinant of either the shape of individual loudness contours or the pattern of family of equal‐loudness functions. At the lower sound‐pressure levels, the equal‐loudness contours closely paralleled the threshold curves. At more‐intense levels, the contours tended to flatten and depend less on frequency.