Kirsten Hamm Professor Thomas Tunks Professor Fred Olness Musical Acoustics Project December 5, 2013

What is the Pitch Shift Phenomenon? According to the pitch shift phenomenon, there is a slight upward pitch-shift in human hearing as age increases. This means that the typical non-severely damaged hearing of a child or adolescent will allow them to hear at higher frequencies than that of an adult. ws ws

What is the Pitch Shift Phenomenon? The same child who can hear at high frequencies, will no longer be able to hear at those same pitches as they age. This is so because the frequencies perceived in adolescence as lower are shifted and perceived as higher as age increases. Thus the highest frequencies heard as a child are shifted out of one’s hearing range.

Mosquito Ringtones What are they? How do they work? Ultrasonic tones generated by high frequency sound waves, used as ringtones advertised especially to adolescents Function based on pitch- shift phenomenon Students can hear tones, but parents and older teachers cannot. (You can imagine the trouble that can bring!) ringtones.com/ ringtones.com/

If normal hearing ability is related to age, can one predict age range based on hearing ability?

Does your highest perceived pitch match your age range? Highest Perceived Pitch (kHz)Age Range 8 Above 50 yrs 's 's 's 16.7about 20yrs 17.7older teenager 18.8younger teenager 19.9Not yet teenager 21.1Not human 22.4There was no sound! Typical Highest Frequencies Heard at Different Age Ranges

Side Note: Notice the different notes beside each frequency. Since frequency is the primary determiner of pitch, these notes/tones at which the pitches play vary related to frequency.