Effects of auditory processing on loudness and reaction time

Simple reaction time and loudness, or subjective intensity, are two topics in the field of psychophysics which date back to the times of psychology's founders, Fechner and Wundt. The present work takes a closer look at the interrelation of the two, and investigates whether reaction time might be used as a simple and unbiased methodology to measure loudness. The listening experiments described in this book aim at quantifying several phenomena more subtle than the sweeping effects of overall level on reaction time, in particular spectral summation, binaural summation and temporal aspects. The results are complemented by a comparison and development of pertinent models for loudness and reaction time. Furthermore, the literature review provides an overview about the history of reaction time studies and loudness evaluation.