The sonic mapper: An interactive program for obtaining similarity ratings with auditory stimuli

Abstract

The Sonic Mapper is an interactive Linux-based graphical program that affords increased methodological flexibility and sophistication to researchers who collect proximity data for auditory research. The Sonic Mapper consists of a mapping environment in which participants can position and group icons in the two-dimensional plane of the screen. Options for collecting data concerning hierarchical groupings, category prototypicality, and verbal labeling provide additional opportunities to test hypotheses in a convergent manner. The Sonic Mapper also offers an environment for traditional pairwise comparisons, as well as one for performing free sorting tasks. A pilot study that attempts to use many of the Sonic Mapper's key features is described briefly below.