Contributions of von Békésy to psychoacoustics.

This paper reviews the contributions of von Békésy to psychoacoustics, comparing his findings and interpretations to those that have emerged since his work. The areas covered include the perception of pitch for pure tones and complex tones, the effect of frequency on the apparent location of pure tones, estimation of the velocity of the traveling wave on the basilar membrane using judgments of lateralization, and the relative loudness of monaural and diotic sounds. While subsequent research has failed to replicate some of his findings, other findings have stood the test of time. There is no doubt that von Békésy made very substantial contributions to psychoacoustic research.