Temporal summation of the acoustic reflex.

A signal-averaging technique was used to minimize acoustic reflex measurement system noise while preserving temporal fidelity. In normal listeners, the interaction of signal intensity and signal duration was explored at visual detection threshold (VDT) and at varying suprathreshold signal levels. Reflex amplitude increases, with signal intensity, at a rate which changes as a function of signal duration, a finding which complicates the interpretation of temporal summation data based on VDT. A theoretical model is proposed to explain the complex interactions of signal intensity, duration, and band width on the amplitude of the acoustic reflex.