Final answer:
Watching a moving object heavily influences our perception of sound localization due to the interaction of auditory and visual cues. Pitch and amplitude, ear sensitivity to different frequencies, and the Doppler effect play key roles in our perception of sound but do not skew localization as strongly.
Step-by-step explanation:
Our perception of sound localization can be influenced by multiple factors, but watching a moving object heavily skews our perception. This is explained by the interaction of our visual and auditory systems—seeing a moving object can influence where we think the sound is coming from. Despite this visual influence, the pitch and amplitude of sound waves play an essential role in how we perceive sound. Our auditory system uses both monaural (one-eared) and binaural (two-eared) cues to locate sounds, akin to how visual cues help us perceive depth.
The ability of the ear to detect sound is not uniform across all frequencies—the ear is more sensitive to certain frequencies, meaning the loudness we perceive is determined by both the amplitude of a sound wave and its frequency's alignment with the ear's sensitivities. The Doppler effect also illustrates how relative motion between a source and observer can cause changes in the perceived frequency of sound, with higher frequencies heard as one moves toward the source and lower frequencies as one moves away.
The density of the atmosphere and absorbent matter also affect how sound travels and is perceived, but they do not heavily skew the localization of sound in the same way as visual cues. In terms of changing amplitude over distance, a sound wave's amplitude decreases as it travels farther from the source due to the spread of wave energy over a wider area.