Studies of stereophonic hearing in the albino rat

Jack B. Kelly

Citation: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 56, S39 (1974); doi: 10.1121/1.1914161
View online: https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1914161
View Table of Contents: https://asa.scitation.org/toc/jas/56/S1
Published by the Acoustical Society of America
S39 88th Meeting:Acoustical
Societyof America
(Eptesicusfuscus). Targets were simulatedelectronically to
provide good stimulus control and accurate specification of
echo signal-to-noise ratios. Acoustic data were digitized at a
sampling rate of 512 kHz and analyzed with a PDP-11/40 com-
puter to estimate echo and noise power. The results show that
bat sonar operates efficiently very close to ideal limits on
performance, and they identify acoustic conditions which
evoke increases in the bat's transmitted signal power.
10:00
S5. Energy spectrum analysis: a model of echolocation
processing. R.A. Johnson(Yale University; current address:
Naval Undersea Center, San Diego, California 92132) and E.L.
Titlebaum (University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
14627)
Several analyses of the abilities of echolocating animals
have suggested that nearly ideal processing--e. g., correlation
or matched filtering--is used by the animals. A review of the
details required for time-domain coherent processing reveals
many difficulties when considering the possible biological im-
plementations. An alternate processing mechanism, energy
spectrum analysis of the combined signal and echoes, is pro-
posed. It is equivalent to autocorrelation processing, yet
overcomes most difficulties when considered for biological
implementation. Strongest evidence for this processing is
found in the psychoacoustic phenomenon usually termed time
separation pitch. In fact, this coherent echolocation analysis
could be considered as an alternate derivation of the pattern
transformation model of pitch recently published by Wightman
[J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 54, 407--416 (1973)]. Observationsof
the performance of an auditory spectrum analyzer help to ex-
plain many of the phenomena observed in echolocation. The
importance of this proposed model lies in its universal appli-
cation to all echolocating animals, including bats, dolphins,
and echolocatingbirds. [Supportedby a Naval UnderseaCenter
contract to the University of Rochester and Air Force contract
number AFOSR 71-2201C to Yale University. ]
10:15
S6. Mating call recognition in the green treefrog (H¾la cinerea).
H. Carl Gerhardt (Division of Biological Sciences, University
of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65201)
Synthetic calls with a waveform periodicity of 300/sec and a
bimodal spectrum attracted female treefrogs as effectively as
natural calls. Reducing the relative amplitude of the lower peak
by 10 dB or the upper peak by 15 dB rendered a synthetic call
less attractive. Addition of two componentsbetween the peaks
had the same effect. The optimal band for the lower peak was
900--1100 Hz and for the upper peak, about 2700--3300 Hz.
When a bimodal stimulns was unavailable, most females re-
spondedto a call having only a lower peak of 900 Hz. Many
females respondedto a call having only high-frequency energy
with a periodicity of 300/sec (2700+3000 Hz), but very few
responded to a 3000-Hz call and then only when played back at
100--105-dB peak SPL (14--19 dB above the usual level). Re-
sults of this study indicate some pertinent features used for
mating call discrimination and relate to neurophysiological
studies of the treefrog auditory system. [Supportedby
NSF GB-41209. ]
10:30
S7. New time-domain analysis for complex animal vocaliza-
tions. J.M. Baker (Departmentof ComputerScience, Car-
negie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania15213; now
at the SpeechProcessing Group, Computer Sciences Depart-
ment, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, P.O. Box
218, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598)
The time-domainanalysisintroducedhere incbrporatesa
transformation of the acousticwaveform, which is functionally
analagousto the physiologicaloperationof phase-lockingin the
peripheral auditory nervous system. The acoustic signals are
sampledand digitized at 20 kHz. Then the time of up-crossing
J. Acoust.Soc.Am., Vol. 56, Supplement
S39
is determined for each cycle in the waveform. Each cycle is
individually evaluated with regard to three classes of time-
domain parameters, namely, cycle frequency, cycle ampli-
tude, and cycle microstructure. Some of this information is
graphically presentedby a Log Inverse Period (LIP) plot, a
modification
of the "instantaneous
frequency"
plotusedby
neurophysiologists. This plot is particularly useful for cleanly
delineating the fine temporal structure and acoustic transients
embeddedin complex waveforms. The chief advantageof
applying these time-domain techniques is their perfect time
resolution. In contrast to the classical frequency-domain
analyses, these time-domain analyses have no inherent band-
width limitations. This fact is significant when the acoustic
signal to be analyzed contains rapidly changingacoustic states
believedto bear information. Especially where the auditory
temporal resolution of humans may not be equal to that of the
animals which communicate with complex vocalizations, pre-
cise temporal resolution is desirable. Analysis results are
shown with examples drawn largely from avian
vocalizations.
10:45
S8. Behavioral evaluation of electrol•ic lesions in the cochlea.
Allen RyanandJohnFerraro (AuditoryResearchLaboratory,
Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60201)
Pure-tone thresholds of normal chinchillas were determined
bytheshock-avoidance
procedure.
Under•septicconditions,
differential electrodes were placed in a given turn of the coch-
lea microphonic(CM) responsewas measured. The cochlea
was then electrolytically lesionedwith the methoddescribedby
Ferraro andDallos [J. Acoust.Soc. Am. 55, S78(A)(1974)].
Holes in the cochlearboneandthe bulla were sealed, the con-
tralateral cochlea destroyed, and the animal allowed to re-
cover. Pure-tone thresholdswere determined daily, until the
observed shift in threshold had stabilized. Each animal was
then anaesthetizedand further electrophysiologicaldata col-
lected. Finally, the animal was sacrificed and the ear pre-
pared for histologica1examination. Lesions required several
days to stabilize. Correlations betweenbehavioral, electro-
physiological, and histologica1measures were good. [This re-
search was supported by grants from NINDS. ]
11:00
S9. Discrimination of the intensities of tones by the parakeet
(Melopsittacusundulat•s). R.J. Dooling(Central Institute for
the Deaf, St. Louis, Missouri 63110) and J. C. Saunders
(Universityof PennsylvaniaMedicalSchool,Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania 19104) .
Using avoidance conditioning and a modified method of
limits, we measured the intensity difference limens of three
parakeets at six sensation levels of a 2.86-kHz tone. At sen-
sation levels above 50 riB, the average value of the relative
difference limen is about 3.0 riB. Below a sensation level of
50 dB, the relative difference limen increases as the intensity
of the tone is decreased. Intensity difference limens for the
parakeet are 2--3 dB larger than similar measures for man
and other mammals and stiggestthat the avian ear may not be
as sensitive to intensity changes as are the ears of many
mammals. [Supported
by NIH Grant No. NS 03856to the Cen-
tral Institute for the Deaf. ]
11:15
S10. Studies of stereophonic hearing in the albino rat. Jack B.
Kelly (Departmentof Psychology,CarletonUniversity,
Ottawa, Ontario KlS 5B6, Canada)
The behavioral response of rats to paired sound sources has
been determined using the conditioned suppression technique.
The rats were reinforced for steadily licking a water spout and
were then conditioned to withdraw from the spout when a stim-
ulus change was detected. They were first trained to detect a
change in the location of a single click from a speaker on the
S40 88th Meeting:AcousticalSocietyof America S40

left to a speaker on the right of a test cage. They were then
given further training with paired clicks from both speakers
simultaneously, but with an intensity difference between left
and right clicks.. Thus the animals detected a change from
"right speakerattenuated"to "left speakerattenuated."The
method of constant stimuli was then used to determine the
least attenuation which could be detected. Estimates of thres-
hold ranged from 2. $ to 4.2 dB for six animals. These results
are compared with previous studies in which time differences
rather than intensity differences were employed. Attempts to
disrupt discriminations based on time differences by attenua-
tion of the leading click (0 to 20 dB) proved unsuccessful.
[Supported
by the NationalResearchCouncil.]
11:30
Sll. Behavioral and cochlear responsesin C57BL/6J mice
primed at various ages for audiogenic seizures. J.C. Saunders
and K.A. Hirsch (Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Hu-
man Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania 19105)
Groups of mice were primed for audiogenic seizures when
14, 18, 28, 38, and 58 days old by exposing them to a one-
octave band of noise ($. 0--16.0 kHz) at 110 dB for 2 min. Five
days later some of these mice were tested for audiogenic sei-
zure behavior by re-exposing them to the priming stimulus.
The cochlear responses of other primed mice were also ex-
amined and compared with similar data obtained in unprimed
control animals. Seizure behavior was only observed in the
group primed when 1$ days old. Similarly, priming in this
group produced a severe loss in cochlear function. Priming
on day 14 or 58 had little effect on the cochlear responses.
These data are considered in terms of auditory development
and the susceptibility of young organisms to acoustic (noise)
trauma. [Supportedby a grant from the DeafnessResearch
Foundation. ]
11:45
S12. Adaptation in the noctuid acoustic receptor. William B.
Adams and Edward O. Belcher (School of Electrical Engineer-
ing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907)
Two adaptation processes are observed in the spike response
of the noctuid acoustic receptor: a short-term process with a
duration of approximately 20 msec and a long-term process
with a duration of 2 sec. The short-term process is also ob-
served in recordings of the receptor potential, but the long-
term process is absent, indicating that long-term adaptation
has its origin in the spike-generating mechanism.

THURSDAY, 7 NOVEMBER 1974 STOCKHOLM ROOM, 1:00 P.M.

Joint Meeting of StandardsCommitteesSI and S3

(The meetingwill beginwith a discussion

of S1 activities,proceedto joint S1 andS3
matters,andconcludewith S3 activities.)

Ervin E. Gross,Chairman

GeneralRadio Company,300 BakerAvenue, Concord,Massachusetts

O1742

American National Standards Committee on Acoustics• S1. Current Standards Committees

will report on their progress in the preparation of documents dealing with standards,
specifications, methods of measurement and testing, and terminology in the fields of
physical acoustics, electroacoustics, sonics and ultrasonics, and underwater sound. Docu-
ments in preparation include proposed standards on evaluation of absorptive wedges and
anechoic chambers, measurement of noise from pneumatic compre'ssors, tools, and
machines, attenuation of sound in air, measurement of stationary noise sources, noise
dosimeters, and calibration of sound-level meters. Open discussion of committee reports
is encouraged as a means to guide the writing groups.

Robert W. Benson,Chairman

Bonitron,Incorporated,Nashville,Tennessee
37204

American National Standards Committee on Bioacousticst S3. The Standards Committee on

Bioacoustics will hold an open meeting to discuss the current status of standards being
prepared. A current report of the draft of Hearing Conservation Criteria and a report on a
proposed study of weighting networks as applied to consumer product noise will be among
the major topics discussed.

J. Acoust.Soc.Am., Vol. 56, Supplement