Critical-Band Theory and the Auditory-Evoked Slow-Wave <i>V</i> Potential

Abstract

An investigation of the effects of signal-energy dispersion of the auditory evoked response (AER) was made in an attempt to determine whether the relationship between loudness and critical band might be reflected in changes in the waveform of the AER and thus provide electrophysiological evidence for the existence and limits of critical bandwidth. Two experiments were performed in which pure tones and noise bursts were employed to stimulate regions inside and outside of the critical band. The pure tones had center frequencies of 560, 1155, and 2480 Hz, and the noise bands had center frequencies of 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, and 8000 Hz. Neither experiment revealed any change in the AER amplitude or latency with the changes in signal bandwidth.