Temporal integration of loudness in listeners with sloping sensorineural hearing losses

Temporal integration of loudness, as measured by the level difference between equally loud short and long tones, can be related directly to the loudness function if one assumes that ratio between equal-SPL long and brief tones is the same at all SPLs. This assumption is supported by measurements of temporal integration of loudness in listeners with gradual and abrupt high-frequency hearing losses. The amounts of temporal integration obtained in listeners with abrupt losses are larger than those obtained in listeners with gradual losses and in listeners with normal hearing. This finding is consistent with the slow growth of loudness with increasing intensity observed in listeners with abrupt losses