Concurrent minimum audible angle: a re-examination of the concept of auditory spatial acuity.

Abstract

Minimum audible angle was measured for simultaneous acoustic events. Localization of concurrent events was found to be a direct function of the spectral differences between the events, the angle between the sources, and the location of the sources within the field defined by the subject. In the latter case, the m.a.a. was smallest with sources placed symmetrically about the listener's median plane and maximal at the extreme lateral portions. Post-hoc tests were completed which indicate that the spectral limits for concurrent localization is dependent both upon the angular separation of the sources and the position within the field as defined by the locus of the subject. The functions obtained approach the values reported by Mills [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 30, 237-246(1958)] as the temporal overlap between the concurrent events decreased. The present results suggest that a single localization function may exist with the optimal performance observed with fully successive stimuli and poorest performance in the condition involving simultaneous events. The implications of these results are discussed.