Problem of localization in the median plane: effect of pinnae cavity occlusion

Localization of sound sources outside the median plane is influenced primarily by differences in head shadow and arrival time of the signal at the two ears of the observer. For sources located within this plane, localization is influenced primarily by the irregularities of the pinna. By progressively occluding these cavities, it is shown that localization ability decreases with increasing occlusion, that it is better for signals in the anterior than in the posterior sector of the median plane, and that high-frequency signal content is more important than the low. A number of hypotheses regarding localization in the median plane are noted.