If a person facing forward hears a sound to her left,

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When a person facing forward hears a sound to her left, her right ear will be cast in a sound shadow. This means that the sound will reach her left ear before it reaches her right ear, causing a slight delay and attenuation in the sound received by the right ear. This difference in arrival time and loudness between the ears allows the brain to localize the sound source in space. However, this also means that the person is experiencing onset disparity, which is the difference in onset time between the two ears. There is no need for the person to turn away from the sound to allow for spectral filtering. Option A is incorrect because the left ear does not hear exactly twice as well as the right ear.

If a Person Facing Forward Hears a Sound to Her