Number of Channels Required for Vertical Place Localization (Loca#Channels)
Objective and Methods
This study investigates the effect of the number of frequency channels on vertical place sound localization, especially front/back discrimination. This is important to determine how many of the basal-most channels/electrodes of a cochlear implant (CI) are needed to encode spectral localization cues. Normal hearing subjects listening to a CI simulation (the newly developed GET vocoder) will perform the experiment using the localization method developed in the subproject "Loca Methods". Learning effects will be studied by obtaining visual feedback.
Results
Experiments are underway.
Application
Knowing the number of channels required to encode spectral cues for localization in the vertical planes is an important step in the development of a 3-D localization strategy for CIs.
Funding
FWF (Austrian Science Fund): Project #P18401-B15
Publications
- Goupell, M., Majdak, P., and Laback, B. (2010). Median-plane sound localization as a function of the number of spectral channels using a channel vocoder, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, 990-1001.