ConLoc: Contextual Sound Localization

Duration: Sept 2020 - Sept 2022

Funding:

• internal (FWF project planned as follow-up)

Objective: 

The perceived azimuth of a target sound is known to depend on the azimuth of a precursor sound. Specifically, a target presented in some azimuthal proximity of a precursor is perceptually shifted away from its “real” azimuth, typically away from the precursor. This effect occurs only if the target and precursor share the same frequency region. Also, it appears to be specific to the location rather than the binaural cues involved, i.e., the interaural time difference (ITD) and the interaural level difference (ILD). Recent physiological studies attributed the effect to an adaptation mechanism at the earliest level of binaural processing. This research focus characterizes properties of the context effect, attempting to elucidate the ecological purpose and the underlying mechanism. In the first step, we focus on ILD cues imposed on high-frequency sounds. Next we use broadband sounds with listener-specific HRTFs. 

Publications (peer-reviewed): 

Laback, B. (accepted). Contextual lateralization based on interaural level differences is pre-shaped by the auditory periphery and predominantly immune against sequential segregation, Trends in Hearing.

Duration: 2021 to 2026

Funding:

• Open Access Fonds of ÖAW

Link to follow-up project (in progress)