Prospective Acoustic Information for Object Pass By
Terri A. Erwin · 2019
Tau, framed in terms of acoustic intensity, is explored as a source of information for the timing of impending object passage. Acoustic simulations of pass-by events were used in two experiments to evaluate the hypothesis that observers’ perceptions of event timing in pass-by scenarios are constrained by the nonlinear aspects of the tau-function. The tau inflection hypothesis is consistent with J. R. Tresilian’s suggestion that deviation of tau from the actual time-to-contact of pass-by offers a source of quantitative predictions concerning performance error. While the predictions of the tau inflection hypothesis have been partially supported by the findings of the present two experiments, the Constant error (CE) data from Experiment 2 highlight the need for better understanding of how the tau inflection might act as a constraint in the auditory perception of pass-by. The data from Experiment 2 show an inverse relation of moment of inflection and CE, that is, when CE is plotted against the moment of inflection occurring before pass-by.