Re: High-frequency hearing in humans (Bob Masta )


Subject: Re: High-frequency hearing in humans
From:    Bob Masta  <audio@xxxxxxxx>
Date:    Tue, 25 Jan 2011 08:45:09 -0500
List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>

I think it's not a case of the need for localization driving the need for high frequency hearing, but more the case that high frequency sounds are environmentally relevant, so we need to hear them *and* localize them. That snapping twig might be a predator creeping up on you! Also, many small mammals have excellent high-frequency hearing, and use it for communication and navigation. Even though humans don't use high frequencies for these things (or at least not much), we have inherited the underlying mammalian hearing system from our common ancestors. So high-frequency hearing is not something we had to evolve to meet any current needs, but rather something we started out with and still find useful. Best regards, Bob Masta ========================= On 25 Jan 2011 at 10:27, Piotr Majdak wrote: > Dear list, > > I'm looking for the reasons for the good high-frequency* hearing in humans. > > The reasons I have until now are actually the obvious ones: > * Pinna localization cues > * Interaural level cues (ILD, they actually start to work from around 2 kHz) > > What do you think: if there were no need for the ILD and pinna cues, > would there be any other reasons? > > Thanks, > > Piotr > *) say, above 8 kHz > > -- > Piotr Majdak > Psychoacoustics and Experimental Audiology > Acoustics Research Institute <http://www.kfs.oeaw.ac.at> > Austrian Academy of Sciences <http://www.oeaw.ac.at/> > Wohllebengasse 12-14, 1040 Vienna, Austria > Tel.: +43 1 51581-2511 > Fax: +43 1 51581-2530 Bob Masta D A Q A R T A Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis www.daqarta.com Scope, Spectrum, Spectrogram, Signal Generator Science with your sound card!


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