The Role of Gender in the Detection of Auditory Signal Changes

摘要

Just-noticeable-differences (JNDs) in auditory signal detection are an important aspect of human factors. Gender differences associated with JNDs should be considered when designing auditory information processing systems. This study was conducted using twenty-four graduate students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Their task was to indicate when they detected an increase or decrease in the signal intensity presented in a quiet condition. The minimum intensity of the signals was 57.5 dB and the maximum was 63.5dB. The intensity changes were in an increment of 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0 dB, respectively. Results showed that the number of males and females detected both increases and decreases in the signal intensity were equivalent when the changes were in 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 dB increments. A significant difference was found in detection of decreased in the signal intensity by 1.0 dB with the female participants detected more of the changes than the male.