Assistant Professor

Center: Heuser Hearing Research Center
Office: Room 347, Life Science Building
Phone: (502) 852-3843
Fax: (502) 852-8904
Email: pavel.zahorik@louisville.edu

Lab location: Heuser Hearing Research Center

Lab phone: 852-3861

Lab website: Zahorik Auditory Perception Laboratory

Education

Ph.D., 1998, University of Wisconsin.

Research Interests

My research interests are in auditory perception generally, with a focus in sound localization and spatial hearing.  Specific areas of interest include: the perception of sound source distance, the contributions of echoes and reverberation to percepts of source direction and distance, and the effects of adaptation, training, and input from other sensory modalities on spatial hearing.  Research in my laboratory relies heavily on auditory display technology that effectively simulates a "virtual" auditory space (VAS) using information about the acoustical characteristics of listeners' external ears and the environment.  This technology not only enables the precise study of psychophysical relationships between the acoustic signals present at the two ears and human spatial hearing abilities, but also allows for simulations and scientifically relevant signal manipulations that would be impossible in real listening situations.  Current projects and collaborations in the lab capitalize on these advantages of VAS technology.

Selected Publications

Zahorik, P. & Kelly, J. W. (2007).  Accurate vocal compensation for sound intensity loss with increasing distance in natural environments.  Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 122(5), EL143-EL150.

Zahorik, P., Bangayan, P., Sundareswaran, V. Tam, C., & Wang, K., (2006).  Perceptual recalibration in human sound localization: Learning to resolve front-back confusions.  Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 120(1), 343-359.

Zahorik, P., Brungart, D. S., & Bronkhorst, A. W. (2005).  Auditory distance perception in humans:  A summary of past and present research.  Acta Acustica, 91(3), 409-420.

Zahorik, P.  (2002).  Direct-to-reverberant energy ratio sensitivity. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 112(5), 2110-2117.

Zahorik, P.  (2002).  Assessing auditory distance perception using virtual acoustics. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 111(4), 1832-1846.

Zahorik, P. & Wightman, F. L. (2001).  Loudness constancy with varying sound source distance. Nature Neuroscience, 4(1), 78-83.

Courses Often Taught

PSYC 201: Introductory Psychology
PSYC 301: Quantitative Methods in Psychology
PSYC 611: Advanced Statistics II