Frequency resolution and discrimination of constant and dynamic tones in normal and hearing-impaired listeners

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Abstract
Frequency resolution and three tasks of frequency discrimination were measured at 500 and 4000 Hz in 12 normal and 12 hearing‐impaired listeners. A three‐interval, two‐alternative forced‐choice procedure was used. Frequency resolution was measured with an abbreviated psychoacoustical tuning curve. Frequency discrimination was measured for (1) a fixed‐frequency standard and target, (2) a fixed‐frequency standard and a frequency‐transition target, and (3) frequency‐transition standard and a frequency‐transition target. The 50‐ms frequency transitions had the same final frequency as the standards, but the initial frequency was lowered to obtain about 79% discrimination performance. There was a strong relationship between poor frequency resolution and elevated pure‐tone thresholds, but only a very weak relationship between poor frequency discrimination and elevated pure‐tone thresholds. Several hearing‐impaired listeners had normal discrimination performance together with pure‐tone thresholds of 80–90 dB HL. A slight correlation was found between word recognition and frequency discrimination, but a detailed comparison of the phonetic errors and either the frequency‐discrimination or frequency‐resolution tasks failed to suggest any consistent interdependencies. These results are consistent with previous work that has suggested that frequency resolution and frequency discrimination are independent processes.

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