Question

MSO is sensitive to _____. More sensitive to ________ ITDs.

a) interaural level difference, low-frequency
b) interaural time difference, high-frequency
c) head size, mid-frequency
d) sound intensity, ultrasonic frequencies

Answer 1

MSO is sensitive to interaural time difference, and it is particularly more sensitive to low-frequency ITDs for sound localization.

Step-by-step explanation:

The human auditory system uses interaural level difference and interaural time difference cues to aid in sound localization on the horizontal plane. The ear is more sensitive to interaural time differences for low-frequency sounds. This means that for a low-frequency sound, the ears and brain are better at detecting the timing difference of the sound arriving at each ear, allowing for more accurate location of the sound source laterally. On the other hand, the ears are not particularly more sensitive to interaural level differences for either high or low frequencies, so, the correct answer to the student's question would be: MSO is sensitive to interaural time difference. More sensitive to low-frequency ITDs.