Equal Loudness Contours Derived from Sensory Magnitude Judgments

Abstract

Magnitude estimates were obtained for the loudness of 77 pure tones varying in frequency (11 values) and intensity (seven values) when (1) all 77 tones were presented intermixed within a session, and (2) all tones of one frequency were presented before presenting tones of another frequency. A power function described the growth of loudness for each frequency for both conditions 1 and 2, and the exponent of the power function varied with frequency. Equal loudness contours were derived from the power functions of Condition 1 and were compared to those obtained from other experiments using different procedures.