Dr. Jennifer Groh

Whereas light is just kind of like a straight shot, you know.

You don't have the opportunity to use the same kind of information for sound depth that you do for vision.

Even though you have two ears, you can't form an image and check to see whether or not the images line up, which is what stereo vision is.

You don't have occlusion cues.

That is to say, one thing being in front of the other blocks your ability to see the thing that's behind.

So, you know, the sound can go around objects.

So there's a few different cues that we can use.

One is simply how loud is the sound?

Things that are farther away are going to sound quieter.

But you have to know what the sound volume was out there in the world in order to interpret whether or not that is quiet or loud.

Right.

Depending on where you grew up, you might have learned as a child, like some basics of how to tell, like when it's good idea to, you know, get to shelter.

So, you know, for example, I was taught growing up, you know, you count one 1,000, two 1,000, whatever.

As long as you can count to like five seconds, you're probably OK.

But once you're getting to that level, you should, you know, maybe go inside.

One 1,000, two 1,000, three 1,000, four 1,000, five 1,000.

And if it takes longer than that before you hear the thunder, you're okay.

But at that point, I would go inside.

You didn't get that.

And people who grew up in cities wouldn't have gotten this.