Abstract
The hypothesis was offered some years ago (Greenwood, 1961) that critical bandwidth in man was an exponential function of distance on the basilar membrane. Integration of the function yielded a frequency-position curve fitting Békésy’s data. Scale relations between frequency-position functions of a few species and between displacement envelopes (Greenwood, 1962) suggest that critical bandwidth may correspond to scale-related distances and may be proportional to the apical segment of the traveling wave envelope. A revision of the critical-bandwidth function (Greenwood, 1971), in which critical bandwidth corresponds to about 1.25 mm in man, is reviewed; functions, based on distances scale related to 1.25 mm, are suggested for cat and squirrel monkey. Analysis of data on basilar-membrane motion in squirrel monkey and guinea pig (Johnstone, 1969/70; Kohllöffel, 1972; Rhode, 1970, 1971) indicates that the apical segments of the displacement envelopes closely agree in length with the respective distances to which critical bandwidth may correspond in these species and would imply an apical segment length close to 1.25 mm in man.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Békésy, G. von Experiments in hearing. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1960.
Feldtkeller, R. and Zwicker, E. Das Ohr als Nachrichtenempfänger. (1st ed.) Stuttgart: Hirzel Verlag, 1956.
Greenwood, D. D. Critical bandwidth and the frequency coordinates of the basilar membrane. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1961, 33, 1344–1356.
Greenwood, D. D. Approximate calculation of the dimensions of traveling wave envelopes in four species. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1962, 34, 1365–1369.
Greenwood, D. D. Aural combination tones and auditory masking. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1971, 50, 502–543.
Igarashi, M., Mahon, R. G., and Konishi, S. Comparative measurements of cochlear apparatus. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 1968, 11, 229–235.
Johnstone, B. M. and Boyle, A. J. F. Basilar membrane vibration examined with the Mössbauer technique. Science, 1967, 158, 389–390.
Johnstone, B. M., Taylor, K. J., and Boyle, A. J. F. Mechanics of the guinea pig cochlea. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1970, 47, 504–509.
Johnstone, B. M. Mechanical aspects of cochlear function. In R. Plomp and G. F. Smoorenburg (Eds.), Frequency analysis and periodicity detection in hearing. Leiden, Holland: Sijthoff, 1969/70.
Kohllöffel, L. U. E. Studies of the distribution of cochlear potentials along the basilar membrane. Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 1971, Supplement 288.
Kohllöffel, L. U. E. A study of basilar membrane vibrations I. Fuzziness-detection: A new method for the analysis of microvibrations with laser light. Acustica, 1972, 27, 49–65. (a)
Kohllöffel, L. U. E. A study of basilar membrane vibrations II. The vibratory amplitude and phase pattern along the basilar membrane (post-mortem). Acustica, 1972, 27, 66–81. (b)
Kohllöffel, L. U. E. A study of basilar membrane vibrations III. The basilar membrane frequency response curve in the living guinea pig. Acustica, 1972, 27, 82–89. (c)
Rhode, W. S. Personal communication, 1970.
Rhode, W. S. The measurement of the amplitude and phase of vibration of the basilar membrane using the Mössbauer effect. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Wisconsin) Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms, 1970. No. 70–11853.
Rhode, W. S. Observations of the vibration of the basilar membrane in squirrel monkeys using the Mössbauer technique. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1971, 49, 1669–1677.
Schuknecht, H. F. and Neff, W. D. Hearing losses after apical lesions in the cochlea. Acta Otolaryngologica, 1952, 42, 263–274.
Schuknecht, H. F. and Sutton, S. Hearing losses after experimental lesions in basal coil of cochlea. Archives of Otolaryngology, 1953, 57, 129–142.
Stevens, S. S. and Davis, H. Hearing. New York: Wiley, 1938.
Zwicker, E. and Feldtkeller, R. Das Ohr als Nachrichtenempfänger. (2nd ed.) Stuttgart: Hirzel Verlag, 1967.
Zwicker, E., Flottorp, G., and Stevens, S. S. Critical bandwidth in loudness summation. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1957, 27, 155–161.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1974 D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht-Holland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Greenwood, D.D. (1974). Critical Bandwidth in Man and Some Other Species in Relation to the Traveling Wave Envelope. In: Moskowitz, H.R., Scharf, B., Stevens, J.C. (eds) Sensation and Measurement. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2245-3_22
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2245-3_22
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-2247-7
Online ISBN: 978-94-010-2245-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive