Is loudness part of a sound recognition process?

Abstract

Influence of loudness on sound recognition was investigated in an explicit memory experiment based on a conscious recollection—test phase—of previously encoded information—study phase. Three encoding conditions were compared: semantic (sounds were sorted in three different categories), sensory (sounds were rated in loudness), and control (participants were solely asked to listen to the sounds). Results revealed a significant study-to-test change effect: loudness change between the study and the test phases affects recognition. The effect was not specific to the encoding condition (semantic vs sensory) suggesting that loudness is an important hint for everyday sounds recognition.