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Extracting Meaning from Sound: Nomic Mappings, Everyday Listening, and Perceiving Object Size from Frequency

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Abstract

In developing a theoretical framework for the field of ecological acoustics, Gaver (1993b) distinguished between the experience of musical listening (perceiving sounds) and everyday listening (perceiving sources of sounds). Within the everyday listening experience, Gaver (1993a) proposed that the frequency of an object results from, and therefore specifies, the size of that object. The relation in which frequency and object size stand to one another is an example of a nomic mapping. A symbolic mapping involves the pairing of unrelated dimensions and, relative to a nomic mapping, requires an additional step in recognition and learning. Using a perceptual identification task, an experiment investigated the hypothesis that nomic mappings are identified more easily than symbolic mappings. It was predicted that the advantage manifests only during the everyday listening experience, and that the initially superior recognition of nomic mappings is equaled by symbolic mappings after extended exposure. The results provided support for the hypotheses. Theoretical implications of the differential recognition of nomic and symbolic mappings are discussed, together with practical applications of nomic relations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology-Bankstown, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, South Penrith, NSW, 1797, Australia

    Sean W. Coward & Catherine J. Stevens

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  1. Sean W. Coward
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  2. Catherine J. Stevens
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Correspondence to Sean W. Coward.

Additional information

This research was conducted in the MARCS Auditory Laboratories and supported by a University of Western Sydney Summer Research Scholarship awarded to Sean Coward. The study benefited from discussions with members of MARCS. In particular, we thank Peter Keller and Michael Tyler for their contribution of ideas and technical assistance, and Denis Burnham for helpful comments on an earlier draft.

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Coward, S.W., Stevens, C.J. Extracting Meaning from Sound: Nomic Mappings, Everyday Listening, and Perceiving Object Size from Frequency. Psychol Rec 54, 349–364 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395478

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