Subjective Preferences for Sound Fields

Abstract

Preferences are the most primitive responses of subjective attributes, because preferences are the evaluative judgments that actually steer an organism’s behavior so that it can survive and propagate. Preferences guide the organism in the direction of maintaining life. In humans, these preferences are deeply related to a esthetic issues. The experiments described throughout this book have mainly used the paired-comparison test (PCT) to assess subjective preferences for sound fields (Thurstone, 1927; Mosteller, 1951; Gullikson, 1956; Torgerson, 1958; for assessment of individual preferences, see Ando, 1998). The paired comparison is the simplest and most accurate method. It permits both inexperienced and experienced listeners to participate, making the method appropriate for a wide range of applications.