Institut für Nachrichtentechnik

L. C. Paulick, T. Dau, and H. Relaño Iborra, “Predicting spectro-temporal modulation detection thresholds with a functional auditory model,” Trends in hearing, vol. 30, Jan. 2026. [ bib | DOI | https ]

Spectro-temporal modulation (STM) sensitivity has been proposed as a sensitive marker of speech intelligibility in challenging listening conditions, yet the underlying auditory mechanisms involved in STM detection remain incompletely understood. The present study measured STM detection thresholds in young normal-hearing and older hearing-impaired listeners and evaluated whether the revised Computational Auditory Signal Processing and Perception model (CASP) can account for individual performance. Thresholds were obtained for six modulation detection conditions, defined by combinations of spectral (0, 1, and 2 c/o) and temporal (4 and 12 Hz) rates. To individualize CASP, outer and inner hair cell loss estimates were obtained from audiometric and Adaptive Categorical Loudness Scaling (ACALOS) data. The results showed systematically elevated thresholds in older hearing-impaired listeners as compared to the young normal-hearing group, particularly at higher spectral rates. The model simulations reproduced overall threshold patterns, but substantially underestimated group differences and interindividual variability in the data. Moreover, the simulations showed limited sensitivity to estimates of outer and inner hair cell loss, supporting the idea that additional supra-threshold mechanisms contribute to STM deficits. While these findings demonstrate the potential of auditory models to predict STM performance, they also highlight the need for refined representations of peripheral and central processing to account for individual STM detection thresholds.

L. C. Paulick, T. Dau, and H. Relaño Iborra, “Dataset for: "predicting spectro-temporal modulation detection thresholds with a functional auditory model",” 2026. [ bib | DOI ]

L. C. Paulick, H. Relaño Iborra, and T. Dau, “The computational auditory signal processing and perception model: A revised version,” The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, vol. 157, pp. 3232–3244, May 2025. [ bib | DOI ]

This study integrates a non-linear inner hair cell model (IHC) into the computational auditory signal processing and perception (CASP) model [Jepsen, Ewert, and Dau (2008). J. Acoust. Am. 124(1), 422–-438]. The integration addresses limitations of its more simplistic predecessor that did not reflect the saturation of the IHC transduction process towards high sound pressure levels. While exhibiting distinct processing mechanisms compared to the original model, the revised model maintains predictive power across conditions of intensity discrimination, simultaneous and forward masking, and modulation detection, effectively accounting for data from normal-hearing listeners. Additional updates and refinements to the model are introduced in response to the changes produced by the additional compressive non-linearity and to improve its usability. Overall, the revised CASP model offers a more accurate and intuitive framework for simulating auditory processing and perception under diverse conditions and tasks. This enhanced version may be particularly valuable for studying the influence of the ear's nonlinear response properties on internal auditory representations, including the effects of sensorineural hearing loss on auditory perception.

L. C. Paulick, H. Relaño Iborra, and T. Dau, “The computational auditory signal processing and perception model (casp): A revised model implementation.,” 2024. [ bib | DOI ]