Twist and Shout: Audible Facing Angles and Dynamic Rotation

In 2 experiments, blindfolded listeners estimated the facing direction of a sound source from 2 different listening distances. In Experiment 1, listeners estimated the stationary facing angle of a loudspeaker that projected a speech stimulus while facing 1 of 8 different directions. In Experiment 2, the loudspeaker sounded while rotating and also while stationary at its terminal orientation. Listeners then made judgments of the final facing angle. Although performance fell short of that typically found in minimum audible angle experiments, listeners made relatively accurate estimates of loudspeaker orientation and showed a significant advantage when dynamic rotation information was available. Listeners were also significantly better at perceiving facing angles when closer to the source and when the loudspeaker was directly facing the listener (0�). The enhanced sensitivity to this egocentric source orientation may be the result of the use of redundant binaural and monaural information at a facing angle of 0�. Human listeners tend to visually orient toward the source of speech as well as project speech directionally toward the intended recipient of the message. Thus, sensitivity to static and dynamic audible facing angles may have implications for complex perception-action relations that are instrumental in activities such as communication and navigation.