AAO-HNSF Certificate Program for Otolaryngology Personnel

Terminology and Concepts

• Intensity: The amount of physical energy present. In audiology this is represented by the decibel (dB) • Loudness: The psychophysical judgment or perception of the amount of physical energy present

AAO-HNS/F

Certificate Program for Otolaryngology Personnel Workshop

37

Terminology and Concepts

• Sound Pressure Level (SPL): The actual amount of physical energy present in a sound • Hearing Level (HL): A normalized representation of SPL based on the characteristics of the human ear • Sensation Level (SL): Based on the individuals own hearing—how far above threshold a sound occurs. If threshold is 10 dBHLand a sound is presented at 50 dBHL, the SL is 40 dB.

AAO-HNS/F

Certificate Program for Otolaryngology Personnel Workshop

38

Terminology and Concepts

SPL related to HL:

7 dB SPL 1000 Hz

9 dB SPL 2000 Hz 9.5 dB SPL 4000 Hz

11 dB SPL 500 Hz

11 dB SPL 6000 Hz

25 dB SPL 250 Hz

AAO-HNS/F

Certificate Program for Otolaryngology Personnel Workshop

39