O trabalho apresenta reflexões sobre o processo de criação de Fábrica de Calcinha, pesquisa artística realizada pela autora com o objetivo de explorar a sonoridade como ativadora e norteadora da composição da cena. O processo de criação partiu da sonoridade percebida no centro da cidade de Porto Alegre. O encontro com este material foi estimulado pelo procedimento de Derivas Sonoras, das quais participaram a própria autora, um músico e um performer. Construiu-se, assim, um arquivo de objetos sonoros (Schaeffer, 1966), objetos perceptivos decodificados pela mente como um som, gravados na memória dos corpos e em dispositivos tecnológicos, e recuperados em diferentes etapas do processo de criação. A escuta se afirmou como poética de trabalho, mediando as interações que deram forma ao material cênico. Para a organização das diferentes ações cênicas (físicas, sonoras e vocais) criadas em improvisações, foi utilizado, sobretudo, um modelo de partitura cênica desenvolvido pelo encenador e compositor Heiner Goebbels. / The dissertation presents reflections on the process of creating Fabrica de Calcinha (Panty Factory), artistic research done by the author in order to explore the sonority as activating and guiding the composition of a scene. The creation process started from the sounds perceived in the center of Porto Alegre. We used the Dérive Sonore procedure as stimuli for this encounter, which was carried out by the author herself, a musician and a performer. We were, thus, able to build a database of sound objects (Schaeffer, 1966), perceptual objects decoded by the mind as a sound, recorded in the memory of bodies and technological devices and recovered at different stages of the creation process. The listening of the material affirmed itself as poetic work mediating the interactions that shaped the scenic material. For the organization of the different performing actions (physical, sound and vocals) created in improvisations, we primarily used a scenic music score model developed by the director and composer Heiner Goebbels.

O trabalho apresenta reflexões sobre o processo de criação de Fábrica de Calcinha, pesquisa artística realizada pela autora com o objetivo de explorar a sonoridade como ativadora e norteadora da composição da cena. O processo de criação partiu da sonoridade percebida no centro da cidade de Porto Alegre. O encontro com este material foi estimulado pelo procedimento de Derivas Sonoras, das quais participaram a própria autora, um músico e um performer. Construiu-se, assim, um arquivo de objetos sonoros (Schaeffer, 1966), objetos perceptivos decodificados pela mente como um som, gravados na memória dos corpos e em dispositivos tecnológicos, e recuperados em diferentes etapas do processo de criação. A escuta se afirmou como poética de trabalho, mediando as interações que deram forma ao material cênico. Para a organização das diferentes ações cênicas (físicas, sonoras e vocais) criadas em improvisações, foi utilizado, sobretudo, um modelo de partitura cênica desenvolvido pelo encenador e compositor Heiner Goebbels. / The dissertation presents reflections on the process of creating Fabrica de Calcinha (Panty Factory), artistic research done by the author in order to explore the sonority as activating and guiding the composition of a scene. The creation process started from the sounds perceived in the center of Porto Alegre. We used the Dérive Sonore procedure as stimuli for this encounter, which was carried out by the author herself, a musician and a performer. We were, thus, able to build a database of sound objects (Schaeffer, 1966), perceptual objects decoded by the mind as a sound, recorded in the memory of bodies and technological devices and recovered at different stages of the creation process. The listening of the material affirmed itself as poetic work mediating the interactions that shaped the scenic material. For the organization of the different performing actions (physical, sound and vocals) created in improvisations, we primarily used a scenic music score model developed by the director and composer Heiner Goebbels.

A perda auditiva no idoso acarreta em dificuldade na percepção da fala. O teste comumente utilizado na logoaudiometria é a pesquisa do índice de reconhecimento de fala máximo (IR-Max) em uma única intensidade de apresentação da fala. Entretanto, o procedimento mais adequado seria a realização do teste em diversas intensidades, visto que o índice de acerto depende da intensidade da fala no momento do teste e está relacionado com o grau e configuração da perda auditiva. A imprecisão na obtenção do IR-Max poderá gerar uma hipótese diagnóstica errônea e o insucesso no processo de intervenção na perda auditiva. Objetivo: Verificar a interferência do nível de apresentação da fala, no teste de reconhecimento de fala, em idosos com perda auditiva sensorioneural com diferentes configurações audiométricas. Métodos: Participaram 64 idosos, 120 orelhas (61 do gênero feminino e 59 do gênero masculino), idade entre 60 e 88 anos, divididos em grupos: G1- composto por 23 orelhas com configuração horizontal, G2- 55 orelhas com configuração descendente, G3- 42 orelhas com configuração abrupta. Os critérios de inclusão foram: perda auditiva sensorioneural de grau leve a severo, não usuário de aparelho de amplificação sonora individual (AASI), ou com tempo de uso inferior a dois meses, e ausência de alterações cognitivas. Foram realizados os seguintes procedimentos: pesquisas do limiar de reconhecimento de fala (LRF), do índice de reconhecimento de fala (IRF) em diversas intensidades e do nível de máximo conforto (MCL) e desconforto (UCL) para a fala. Para tal, foram utilizadas listas com 11 monossílabos, para diminuir a duração do teste. A análise estatística foi composta pelo teste Análise de Variância (ANOVA) e teste de Tukey. Resultados: A configuração descendente foi a de maior ocorrência. Indivíduos com configuração horizontal apresentaram índice médio de acerto mais elevado de reconhecimento de fala. Ao considerar o total avaliado, 27,27% dos indivíduos com configuração horizontal revelaram o IR-Max no MCL, assim como 38,18% com configuração descendente e 26,19% com configuração abrupta. O IR-Max foi encontrado no UCL, em 40,90% dos indivíduos com configuração horizontal, 45,45% com configuração descendente e 28,20% com configuração abrupta. Respectivamente, o maior e o menor índice médio de acerto foram encontrados em: G1- 30 e 40 dBNS; G2- 50 e 10 dBNS; G3- 45 e 10 dBNS. Não há uma única intensidade de fala a ser utilizada em todos os tipos de configurações audiométricas, entretanto, os níveis de sensação que identificaram os maiores índices médios de acerto foram: G1- 20 a 30 dBNS, G2- 20 a 50 dBNS; G3- 45 dBNS. O MCL e o UCL-5 dB para a fala não foram eficazes para determinar o IR-Max. Conclusões: O nível de apresentação teve influência no desempenho no reconhecimento de fala para monossílabos em idosos com perda auditiva sensorioneural em todas as configurações audiométricas. A perda auditiva de grau moderado e a configuração audiométrica descendente foram mais frequentes nessa população, seguida da abrupta e horizontal. / Hearing loss in elderly causes difficulty in speech perception. The test commonly used in speech audiometry is the search for the maximum speech recognition score (PB-Max) in a single presentation intensity of speech. However, the most adequate procedure would be the test at multiple intensities considering that the correct level depends on the intensity of the speech at the moment of the test and is related to the degree and configuration of hearing loss. The imprecision in obtaining the PB-Max can produce an erroneous diagnostic hypothesis and failure in the intervention process in hearing loss. Purpose: To verify the interference of the level of speech presentation, through the speech recognition test, in elderly patients with sensorineural hearing loss with different audiometric configurations. Methods: Participants were 64 elderly, 120 ears (61 females and 59 males), ages ranging from 60 to 88, divided into three groups: G1- comprising 23 ears with flat configuration, G2- 55 ears with gradually sloping, G3- 42 ears with steeply sloping configuration. The criteria of inclusion of individuals were: sensorineural hearing loss from mild to severe degree, no hearing aid users, or period of use lower than two months, and absence of any cognitive impairment. The following procedures were performed: speech recognition threshold (SRT), word recognition scores at multiple intensities, most comfortable loudness level (MCL) and uncomfortable loudness level (UCL) using speech stimuli. For the procedure above, lists of 11 monosyllabic words were presented, in order for the test duration to be reduced. Statistical analysis was made by the test Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey\'s test. Results: The gradually sloping configuration was the most common. Subjects with flat configuration showed higher correct mean level in speech recognition. Considering the total ears assessed, 27.27% of subjects with flat configuration revealed the PB-max in MCL, as well as, 38.18% with gradually sloping and 26.19% with steeply sloping configuration. The PB-max was found in the UCL, in 40.90% of the subjects with a flat configuration, 45.45% with gradually sloping configuration and 28.20% with steeply sloping configuration. Respectively, the highest and the lowest correct mean indexes were found: G1- 30 and 40 dB SL; G2- 50 and 10 dB SL; G3- 45 and 10 dB SL. There is not a single speech intensity to be used in all types of audiometric configurations, however, the sensation levels that identified the correct mean levels were found: G1 - 20-30 dB SL, G2 - 20-50 dB SL; G3 - 45 dB SL. The MCL and UCL-5 dB using speech stimuli, were not effective to determine the PB-Max. Conclusion: The presentation level influenced the performance in speech recognition for monosyllables in elderly patients with sensorineural hearing loss in all audiometric configurations. Moderate hearing loss and gradually sloping configuration were more frequent in this population, followed by steeply sloping and flat configuration.

L’implant cochléaire, la neuroprothèse la plus répandue et la plus réussie de nos jours, permet à des sujets sourds profonds de récupérer une perception auditive permettant une compréhension du langage. Bien que les technologies et les processeurs actuels aient grandement évoluées depuis ces vingt dernières années, la stratégie optimale pour coder l'intensité sonore dans l’implant n’a pas encore été trouvée. L'accès à des indices physiologiques est difficile chez le patient humain alors qu’il est relativement simple chez l’animal. Le but de cette thèse était de développer un modèle animal (cobaye) d'implantation cochléaire et d'étudier la réponse du système auditif à différentes stratégies de stimulation. Les réponses du nerf auditif et des neurones du cortex auditif primaire ont été obtenues lors de stimulations via un implant cochléaire simplifié.Nous avons observé que l’importante variabilité inter-individuelle dans l’efficacité de 2 stratégies (augmentation d’amplitude vs. de durée des pulses électriques) à augmenter les réponses du nerf auditif se répercute au niveau du cortex auditif. Les tests de nouvelles formes de pulses (pulses asymétriques ou en rampes) sur les réponses des neurones corticaux suggèrent que ce type de pulses permettrait de réduire l’étendue corticale activée par la stimulation électrique même aux charges les plus élevées. Là aussi, une importante variabilité inter-individuelle a été observée. Cela a conduit à ce que les activations corticales les plus proches de l’activation normalement observée par des sons purs, soient obtenues soit avec une forme de pulses soit une autre. Cette thèse prône donc qu’il est indispensable d’avoir accès à de nombreuses stratégies de stimulation sur chaque sujet afin de choisir celle la plus adaptée pour un patient donné. / Cochlear implant, the most successful neuroprosthesis allows deaf subjects to recover auditory perception and speech intelligibility. Over the last decades, the technology and the coding strategies in cochlear implants have been largely improved but the optimal strategy for coding loudness is still problematic. Human studies face a lot of restrictions especially regarding the collection of electrophysiological events. The primary goal of this thesis is to develop an animal model (guinea pig) of implantation and to study the auditory system's responses for different strategies for coding sound loudness (increase in amplitude vs. duration of electrical pulses). We studied the responses of the auditory nerve and primary auditory cortex obtained with electrical stimulation delivered through a simplified cochlear implant.We observed that the large inter-individual variability in the efficacy of these two classical strategies for increasing auditory nerve responses is reflected in the auditory cortex. Testing new forms of pulses (asymmetric pulses or ramped pulses) suggests that this type of pulses would reduce the evoked responses of cortical neurons even at the highest injected charges. Again, a large inter-individual variability was observed. As a consequence, for each animal, the cortical response the closest from the activation normally observed with pure tones, is obtained either with one form of pulses or another. This thesis advocates that it is essential to have access to several stimulation strategies on each subject in order to choose the most appropriate for a given patient.

Rating scales are commonly used to study voice quality. The purpose of this study was to examine inter-rater reliability/agreement of graduate student clinicians with differing levels of experience in rating voice perception. The Consensus Auditory Perception Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) was used to asses 1.) overall severity, 2.) roughness, 3.) breathiness, 4.) strain, 5.) pitch and 6.) loudness from a sample of pediatric voices. Twenty-four graduate clinicians who had completed a graduate level course in voice disorders participated in the study. Twelve of the participants were randomly selected to complete a perceptual training course prior to the evaluation session. Voice samples included 10 disordered and 2 normal voices from a population of children age 3-10 years old. The 12 voice samples were randomly repeated 3 times. Results of analysis of variance indicated that the groups significantly differed in their severity rating of the perceptual indices, suggesting that training affected the participants' judgment of severity. Additionally, variability was reduced as a function of training. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient's revealed a moderate to strong relationship for all of the perceptual indices suggesting that regardless of training participants have an implicit understanding of normal versus disordered voice samples.

no / In a world of sensory overload, it is becoming increasingly important to provide environments that enable us to recover our sense of well being. Such restorative (`tranquil¿) environments need to comprise sufficient sensory stimulation to keep us engaged, whilst at the same time providing opportunity for reflection and relaxation. One essential aspect in safeguarding existing, or developing new `tranquil space¿, is understanding the optimum relationship between the soundscape and the visual composition of a location. This research represents a first step in understanding the effects of audio-visual interaction on the perception of tranquillity and identifies how the interpretation of acoustic information is an integral part of this process. By using uni and bi-modal auditory-visual stimuli in a two stage experimental strategy, it has been possible to measure the key components of the tranquillity construct. The findings of this work should be of particular interest to those charged with landscape management, such as National Park Authorities, Regional Councils, and other agencies concerned with providing and maintaining public amenity. / EPSRC, Wellcome Trust

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represents a group of developmental disabilities associated with impairments in social, communicative, and imaginative abilities. Speech impairments associated with ASD can be explained by differences in cognitive processing styles relative to neurotypicals. Previous studies found that individual differences in cognitive processing influence one’s production and perception of prosody. For example, Stewart et al. (2018) found that higher levels of autistic character traits indicated by one’s Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) score (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001) correlated significantly with one’s ability to discriminate pitch and time, but no significant correlation between auditory discrimination thresholds for intensity. Additionally, Turnbull (2015; 2019) observed shorter overall word and vowel durations during a task which required participants with varying AQ scores to speak for the benefit of a listener with a hearing impairment. The present study examined whether prosodic cue-trading in production and perception differs when comparing populations with varying levels of autistic traits, as indicated by their AQ score differences. Furthermore, the study investigated whether these differences exist on a continuum, or rather are categorical, with respect to participants’ level of autistic character traits. To achieve this, we analyzed individual variability patterns in 18 participants’ speech production and perception. Results from the perception task showed that participants displayed a significant enhanced perception of pitch and intensity, but not duration, when completing a task where participants listened to sentences manipulating the prosodic parameters f0, intensity, duration. Results from the production task where participants read sentences designed to elicit background, broad, and narrow focus found no significant effect of AQ across any of the acoustic parameters measured, although the results for f0 are near the 5% significance level for the f0 condition, suggesting that participants with higher AQ scores may produce lower f0 ranges, and thus, less prosodic variability compared to low AQ participants. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represents a group of developmental disabilities associated with impairments in communicative abilities, among others. Theories suggest that individuals with higher levels of autistic traits notice small details in the physical properties of sounds, but have trouble distinguishing the more abstract, intended meaning of the same sound patterns. Previous studies found that individual differences in the degree of autistic traits influence one’s production and perception of prosody (i.e., the relative highness or lowness of a tone),; individuals with higher levels of autistic are better able to detect fine-grained differences in pitch and time, but not loudness. The present study examined the extent to which speakers with varying levels of autistic traits use prosody during speech production and perception. This study observed that (1) individuals with higher levels of autistic traits displayed an enhanced perception of pitch and loudness, but not time, and (2) that these same participants may exhibit less variability in their production of pitch.

How loud is todays movies? I have been investigating the differences between loudness in American and Swedish flm making. Also, what difference does variation depending on country of distribution, language spoken and audio formats make? I applied the loudness levelling standard EBU r128 as take-off point for my study as I believe it will be the standard for how future audio tracks will be played and mixed.

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L'évaluation de la sonie globale d'un son non-stationnaire repose sur la transformation de nos sensations de sonie momentanées en une valeur scalaire unique reflétant notre impression globale a posteriori. Cette thèse approfondit la compréhension de ce processus dynamique dans le cas particulier de stimuli présentant des profils d'intensité croissants ou décroissants de quelques secondes. Partant de l'observation que les sons croissants sont perçus plus forts que les sons décroissants alors qu'ils contiennent la même énergie pendant la même durée, cette thèse aborde la question des origines de cette asymétrie perceptive sous différentes perspectives. Une approche systématique est adoptée afin d'évaluer les bases méthodologiques, contextuelles et physiques du phénomène. Il est montré que l'évaluation globale de la sonie d'un stimulus dynamique ne correspond pas une simple moyenne énergétique. Les jugements des auditeurs se fondent sur une intégration temporelle de la région la plus intense des stimuli, mais d'autres mécanismes sont impliqués; des asymétries dépendant de façon complexe et non-linéaire des caractéristiques du profil temporel et du niveau des stimuli sont observées. Les modèles de sonie actuels ne permettent pas directement d'expliquer ces résultats, ce qui soutient l'idée selon laquelle les mécanismes étudiés pourraient provenir de traitements auditifs ou décisionnels "haut-niveau" n'étant pas encore pris en considération dans ces modèles. De nouvelles perspectives de recherche pour l'étude du codage et du traitement de stimuli non-stationnaires par les systèmes sensoriels à partir d'asymétries perceptives avérées sont ainsi offertes. / Global loudness evaluation of a time-varying sound is based on the transformation of our momentary loudness sensations into a single scalar value that reflects our overall impression a posteriori. This thesis deepens the understanding of this dynamical process in the case of specific stimuli that rise or fall in level over a few seconds. Starting from the observation that rising tones are perceived louder than falling tones while both contain the same energy over the same duration, this thesis scrutinizes the origins of this perceptual asymmetry from various perspectives. A systematic approach is adopted to evaluate the methodological, contextual and physical bases of this phenomenon. It is demonstrated that global loudness evaluation of a dynamic stimulus does not correspond to a simple energetic mean. Listeners’ judgments rely on a temporal integration of the loudest region of the stimuli, but additional mechanisms are involved; asymmetries which depend on temporal profile characteristics and sound level in a complex and non-linear way are observed. Current loudness models cannot directly account for the effects highlighted throughout the different studies of this thesis, which supports the idea that the mechanism(s) under study might take place in high auditory or decisional stages not considered in these models. This research offers new perspectives to investigate the coding and the processing of time-varying stimuli by sensory systems from identified perceptual asymmetries.