Accurate estimation of the temporal dynamics of bouncing events

The sound of a bouncing object is rich in dynamic acoustical information: subsequent bounces are more tightly spaced in time, have lower energy, and tend to excite less strongly the high‐frequency resonant modes of the bounced‐upon object. Previous studies on bouncing events show that dynamic information is not used to perceive the properties of the bouncing object. We tested whether this is the case when listeners are asked to predict the dynamic behavior of a bouncing event. Stimuli were recorded by dropping one of four different balls from various heights onto a hard linoleum surface. After hearing two, three, four, or five bounces, participants pressed a button to estimate the temporal location of the next bounce. No performance feedback was given. Participants never heard the bounce whose temporal location they were estimating. Bounce‐time estimates were very accurate (r = 0.96). Acoustic analyzes revealed a strong focus on timing information and a secondary reliance on energetic information. Spectral information appeared to have negligible effects. These findings demonstrate the extreme versatility of human listeners in using variable acoustic cues to determine the dynamic behavior of real‐world objects