The question of the validity of the auditory‐averaged electroencephalic responses (auditory AER) in auditory research and in audiometry is a very important one. In the present experiments, auditory AER and direct estimates of loudness magnitude were conducted concurrently on the same subjects, in the hope of reducing the consequences of the great within‐subject and between‐subject variability always encountered in such experiments, and of the differences in the degree of alertness. The peak‐to‐peak amplitude of the N1 − P2 waves and the N1 and P2 latencies were used as characteristics of the auditory AER. Even in these conditions, no clear relations appeared between the AER and the loudness estimations. The discussion shows that they are probably not directly connected.
Subject Classification: 65.59, 65.50.
