1. the branch of science that studies the relationship between physical properties of sound and the psychological perception and sensation of sound by listeners
Usage: typically used as a mass noun (uncountable); interdisciplinary field combining psychology, acoustics, and neuroscience

Examples

• Psychoacoustics helps explain why two sounds with the same frequency can be perceived differently by different people.
• Audio engineers use psychoacoustics to design headphones that deliver the most natural sound experience.
• Research in psychoacoustics has shown that our perception of loudness is not purely physical but depends on frequency.
• The study of psychoacoustics reveals how the human ear and brain work together to interpret sound.
• Psychoacoustics informs the development of noise-canceling technology by understanding how we perceive unwanted sounds.