Effects of head movement and proprioceptive feedback in training of sound localization

Akio Honda; Hiroshi Shibata; Souta Hidaka; Jiro Gyoba; Yukio Iwaya; Yôiti Suzuki

doi:10.1068/i0522

Effects of head movement and proprioceptive feedback in training of sound localization

Iperception. 2013 Jun 3;4(4):253-64. doi: 10.1068/i0522. eCollection 2013.

Authors

Akio Honda¹, Hiroshi Shibata², Souta Hidaka³, Jiro Gyoba⁴, Yukio Iwaya⁵, Yôiti Suzuki⁶

Affiliations

¹ Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, 2-1-1, Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan Currently at: Department of Welfare Psychology, Tohoku Fukushi University, 1-8-1, Kunimi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 981-8522, Japan; e-mail: a-honda@tfu-mail.tfu.ac.jp.
² Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, 2-1-1, Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan; Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Arts and Letters, Tohoku University, 27-1, Kawauchi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8576, Japan Currently at: Faculty of Medical Science and Welfare, Tohoku Bunka Gakuen University, 6-45-1, Kunimi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 981-0943, Japan; e-mail: hshibata@rehab.tbgu.ac.jp.
³ Department of Psychology, Rikkyo University, 1-2-26, Kitano, Niiza-shi, Saitama 352-8558, Japan; e-mail: hidaka@rikkyo.ac.jp.
⁴ Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Arts and Letters, Tohoku University, 27-1, Kawauchi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8576, Japan; e-mail: gyoba@sal.tohoku.ac.jp.
⁵ Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, 2-1-1, Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan Currently at: Faculty of Engineering, Tohoku Gakuin University, 1-13-1, Chuo, Tagajo, Miyagi 985-8537, Japan; e-mail: iwaya.yukio@tjcc.tohoku-gakuin.ac.jp.
⁶ Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, 2-1-1, Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan; e-mail: yoh@riec.tohoku.ac.jp.

PMID: 24349686
PMCID: PMC3859569
DOI: 10.1068/i0522

Abstract

We investigated the effects of listeners' head movements and proprioceptive feedback during sound localization practice on the subsequent accuracy of sound localization performance. The effects were examined under both restricted and unrestricted head movement conditions in the practice stage. In both cases, the participants were divided into two groups: a feedback group performed a sound localization drill with accurate proprioceptive feedback; a control group conducted it without the feedback. Results showed that (1) sound localization practice, while allowing for free head movement, led to improvement in sound localization performance and decreased actual angular errors along the horizontal plane, and that (2) proprioceptive feedback during practice decreased actual angular errors in the vertical plane. Our findings suggest that unrestricted head movement and proprioceptive feedback during sound localization training enhance perceptual motor learning by enabling listeners to use variable auditory cues and proprioceptive information.

Keywords: binaural differences; head movement; perceptual motor learning; proprioceptive feedback; spectral shape cues; training of sound localization.