Identification, Discrimination, and “Matching from a Sample.”

Abstract

A valid experimental comparison between the absolute identification and the relative discrimination of aspects of elementary auditory displays is difficult when each is independently examined in separate experiments. In the present study, simultaneous examination of the identification and discrimination was carried out with a set of “matching from sample” procedures. In each case, the listener attempted to identify the sound level of a tone selected from a “catalog” of sound levels. The various procedures differed solely in terms of the opportunity to “match” the signal with the catalog. Significant improvements in performance are associated with increased accessibility to the catalog, especially under finely subdivided conditions encompassing a wide range of sound levels.