Editing Absolute threshold of hearing (section)

=== Adaptive methods ===
Unlike the classical methods, where the pattern for changing the stimuli is preset, in adaptive methods the subject's response to the previous stimuli determines the level at which a subsequent stimulus is presented.<ref name="Levitt, 1971">{{cite journal |author=Levitt H. |date=1971 |title=Transformed up-down methods in psychoacoustics |journal=J. Acoust. Soc. Am. |volume=49 |issue=2 |pages=467–477 |doi=10.1121/1.1912375 |pmid=5541744 |url=http://scitation.aip.org/getabs/servlet/GetabsServlet?prog=normal&id=JASMAN00004900002B000467000001&idtype=cvips&gifs=yes |access-date=1 March 2007|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==== Staircase (up-down) methods ====
[[Image:Simple Up-Down Method.png|thumb|Series of descending and ascending trials runs and turning points]]

The simple ''1-down-1-up method'' consists of a series of descending and ascending trial runs and turning points (reversals). The stimulus level is increased if the subject does not respond and decreased when a response occurs. Similar to the method of limits, the stimuli are adjusted in predetermined steps. After obtaining from six to eight reversals, the first one is discarded and the threshold is defined as the average of the midpoints of the remaining runs. Experiments have shown that this method provides only 50% accuracy.<ref name="Levitt, 1971"/> To produce more accurate results, this simple method can be further modified by increasing the size of steps in the descending runs, e.g. ''2-down-1-up method'', ''3-down-1-up methods''.<ref name="Gelfand, 1990"/>

====Bekesy's tracking method====
[[Image:Bekesy's Tracking Method.png|thumb|The threshold being tracked by the listener]]

Bekesy's method contains some aspects of classical methods and staircase methods. The level of the stimulus is automatically varied at a fixed rate. The subject is asked to press a button when the stimulus is detectable. Once the button is pressed, the level is automatically decreased by the motor-driven [[attenuator (electronics)|attenuator]] and increased when the button is not pushed. The threshold is thus tracked by the listeners, and calculated as the mean of the midpoints of the runs as recorded by the automat.<ref name="Gelfand, 1990"/>