Re: Directional Perception

[Bradley Wood Libbey <gt1556a@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

John Neuhoff and List,

I don't know of any papers dealing with your interesting questions
directly. Just some food for thought.

> ...is there free-field localization work in which the loudspeaker does
> not face the listener directly?

Source directivity is usually dependent on frequency.  It would seem that
some prior knowledge of the source itself would be required to perform the
task in stationary free-field conditions.  Do listeners know this
frequency dependency?  Would they need to listen to the source for
multiple orientations before estimates could be made?

In echoic environments additional information is available:
Direct/reverberant amplitude ratios commonly associated with distance
judgements may also be used to determine orientation.  The frequency
content of the direct signal versus that of the reverberant field could
also provide clues.  I don't believe that room echoes are processed as
separate sources.  Excepting special cases where spectral characteristics
change or delays are large.  Perhaps the directional frequency
characteristics of a complex source are an exception?

Brad Libbey
GA Tech