Interaural intensity difference

Definition

Interaural intensity difference is the variation in loudness and quality of a sound as it reaches one ear compared to the other, primarily due to the head's shadow effect blocking or altering sound waves. This auditory phenomenon helps the brain determine the direction from which a sound originates, contributing to our ability to localize sounds in a three-dimensional space.

Related terms

Binaural Hearing: The ability of the brain to combine information from both ears to perceive sound direction and distance.

Sound Localization: The process by which the position of a sound source is determined based on auditory cues such as timing and intensity differences between ears.

Auditory Pathway: The neural pathway that sound takes from the ear through various processing centers of the brain, ultimately leading to sound perception