psychoacoustics

American  

[sahy-koh-uh-koo-stiks, -uh-kou-] / ˌsaɪ koʊ əˈku stɪks, -əˈkaʊ- /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the study of sound perception.

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psychoacoustics British  

/ ˌsaɪkəʊəˈkuːstɪks /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) psychol the study of the relationship between sounds and their physiological and psychological effects

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Other Word Forms

• psychoacoustic adjective
• psychoacoustical adjective

Etymology

Origin of psychoacoustics

First recorded in 1945–50; psycho- + acoustics

Example Sentences

He gives as much credit to the psychoacoustics as to physical acoustics, convinced that how you feel about your environment invariably colors how you hear and how you make music.

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2021

There’s an easy explanation for experiences like Ms. Miyawaki’s, said William Hartmann, a physics professor at Michigan State University who specializes in acoustics and psychoacoustics.

From New York Times • Jan. 13, 2017

The "proven solution" is Pzizz’s use of psychoacoustics — a field of science that studies sound perception and how sound affects the brain.

From The Verge • Jul. 1, 2016

Returning to Michigan, he studied music, speech and psychoacoustics.

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2014

They focused on psychoacoustics, a field that embraces the idea that our ears can mask deficiencies in a recording.

From Washington Post