Localization Experiments with Reporting by Head Orientation: Statistical Framework and Case Study

This paper is concerned with sound localization experiments in which subjects report the position of an active sound source by turning toward it. A statistical framework for the analysis of the data from this type of experiment is presented together with a case study from a largescale listening experiment. The statistical framework is based on a model that is robust to the presence of front/back confusions and random errors. Closed-form natural estimators are derived, and one-sample and two-sample statistical tests are presented. The framework is used to analyze the data of an auralized experiment undertaken by nearly nine hundred subjects. Results show that responses had a rightward bias and that speech was harder to localize than percussion sounds, which are results consistent with the literature. Results also show that it was harder to localize sound in a simulated room with high ceiling, despite having a higher direct-to-reverberant ratio than other simulated rooms.