Colour matters in loudness
Human perception of a sound is not just the result of what is actually heard but also of what is seen, according to German scientists.
Human perception of a sound is not just the result of what is actually heard but also of what is seen, according to a report.
Perceived loudness is not only influenced by what is heard but also by the accompanying visual impressions, a report in the German Research, a publication of the DFG German Research Foundation, said.
Though the scientific understanding of the underlying psychophysical and neurophysiological mechanism is still in its infancy, early experience with the phenomenon has already been used in product optimisation, it added.
Explaining the phenomenon, the report said the subjective evaluation of a product normally involves all the senses. For example, a potential purchaser might judge a new car that has attracted his/her attention with almost all his senses — sight, hearing and touch.
Optical design plays an important part but the satisfying thud with which the door closes can also signal quality to the potential buyer, it said.
The report mentioned some tests to show how loudness of the sound of a passing high-speed train is perceived differently when it is accompanied with a visual of a train of a different colour.
'The sound of a passing high-speed train was recorded on digital magnetic tape and played back to subjects through headphones,' it said adding that in addition to acoustic playback, the subjects were presented with the image of a high-speed train on a 3x3 metre screen.
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