A binaural model to simulate the precedence effect with adaptive stages to compensate for head movements.

Abstract

Several models exist to simulate localization dominance, the ability of the auditory system to disregard room reflections when determining the location of a sound source. Psychoacoustic experiments have shown that the suppression of a reflection can improve over time, an effect known as the build up of the precedence effect. A recently introduced binaural model [Braasch, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 124, 2494] is an ideal candidate to simulate this buildup effect. The model estimates the optimal parameters to inhibit a reflection using an autocorrelation algorithm, and thus the buildup can be understood as a learning process to tune these parameters optimally. The question of how the auditory system adapts to stimuli changes when the listener changes position, however, has not been addressed adequately. An initial attempt to simulate this condition is made here by combining the aforementioned binaural model with one that compensates for head movements, which is achieved by rotating the binaural activity pattern in the opposite direction, but with the same magnitude, of the head movements [Braasch et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, 1886]. This way, the precedence effect model is able to adapt to the new situation without having to relearn the configuration of direct sound and reflection.