CDS 287                Psychoacoustic Science (Reg. #467593)

Instructors:                  Richard Salvi (829 2001 x13, email: salvi@buffalo.edu)

TA:                       U-Cheng Leong (uleong@acsu.buffalo.edu) 215 Parker Hall

Location:                  Room: 4 Diefendorf

Course Content:  Psychoacoustics is the study of the psychological response (hearing) of a listener to acoustic stimuli (sound).  The first part of the course covers some the basic characteristics of sound and sound measurement and analysis.  The second part provides a brief overview of how sound is transmitted through air into the external ear, then through the middle and finally into to the inner ear (cochlea).  The inner is responsible for converting mechanical vibration into a pattern of neural activity.  The third part of the course is concerned with the basic performance characteristics of normal listeners.  How does hearing performance change when the duration of a signal increases or decreases?  How does a listener use sound information to determine the location of a sound source in space (localization)?  How does hearing performance change when there is pathology of the middle ear?  What changes in hearing occur after a listener is exposed to high levels of noise that can damage the inner ear?  How do pathologies in the central auditory brain affect hearing performance? 

Grades:            The material covered in the lectures will come from the assigned text, lecture notes and classroom presentations.  Four exams, each consisting of approximately 50 questions, will be given during the semester.  The final grade will be based on the average of the four tests. Each exam is given equal weight.  Grades will be based on a curve or normal distribution. The only valid reasons for missing an exam are medical reasons and family emergencies.   In the event that a student is unable to take an exam at the scheduled time, the student should contact the instructor immediately.