Sound Association Test

Abstract

An auditory projective test is provided that emphasizes a shift in focus from visual and verbal/linguistic stimuli to an examination of the phenomena of acoustic and sonic association. The design discovers a “canon” of sound stimuli that may provide psychological associations with the aim to further inform and compliment the findings of Jung's word association test. The design includes a computer software program that gathers and calculates data in Excel format. Jung's traditional Word Association test is presented alongside the sound association test. The design may include the use of digital video recording to help observe and demonstrate behavioral responses. Additionally, the design may include the addition of a digital interface that will reintroduce the measurement of certain physiological data originally used in Jung's association experiments.

1 . A method of administering a sound association test, the method comprising:
 providing instructions to a test subject requesting that the test subject respond with a first word, thought or image that occurs in connection to a sound that the test subject hears;   playing a series of sounds for the test subject and recording the time that it takes the test subject to respond and a response of the test subject, wherein the recording occurs on a spreadsheet within a computer program.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the spreadsheet includes spaces to record time-stamped responses to the series of sounds. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein pressing a space bar of a computer running the computer program plays the series of sounds when a stimulus word is active. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 after recording, exporting all of the recorded response times, noted reaction words, recording of reproductions, and noting of positive or negative reproductions to the spreadsheet. 
 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising:
 calculating a prime mean time, number of complex indicators for each sound, and rank of all sounds in order of how many complex indicators are present for each sound/response. 
 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein complex indicators include responses over a mean average response time, no response, a different response reproduction to the sound, gestural reactions, noises, rhymes, and multiple word responses. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 recording the response of the test subject in audio and video formats. 
 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 while recording the response of the test subject, measuring biometric data including pulse rate, oxygen saturation levels and galvanic skin response; and 
 tagging the biometric data to each sound and response of the test subject to the sound. 
 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  further comprising:
 calculating an average of each type of biometric data; and 
 displaying the averages on individual graphs to allow an examiner to see word and sound reactions that occur above or below each average. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein series of sounds are classified by categories, the categories selected from the group comprising:
 sounds of nature, human sounds, animal sounds, urban sounds, and ambiguous stimuli.