Tenure-Track Faculty
 | Sid P. Bacon Ph.D., University of Minnesota Email: spb |
| Research Interests: Research in the Psychoacoustics Laboratory is concerned mostly with the way in which the auditory system processes temporally dynamic or time-varying sounds. Recent research also has focused on the perceptual consequences of a form of amplitude compression that is observed in the cochlea of the inner ear. The laboratory primarily focuses on auditory processing by individuals with normal hearing, where the goal is to understand basic aspects of hearing and to relate the behavioral results to underlying physiology. A considerable amount of research also addresses the effects of cochlear hearing loss on auditory perception in order to understand the limitations imposed by hearing loss and to provide a strong basis for the development of signal-processing strategies for assistive-listening devices (e.g., hearing aids). Finally, some of the research in the laboratory is concerned with how the normal aging process affects the perception of sound. This research is motivated by the general trouble that older individuals have understanding speech, particularly in difficult listening situations, and the importance of communication to the well being of those individuals. | |
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