Variations in Sensibility to Fabric Frictional Sound by Fiber Type and Subject

We have investigated sensation responses to fabric frictional sounds according to fiber type, subject's nationality, age, gender, and acoustic sensitivity. Twenty-six American and thirty- two Korean adults participated in this study, and answered questions on seventeen adjectives describing sensations upon hearing the frictional sounds of eight fabrics, including “feeling good,” “harsh to ear,” “sharp,” “deep,” “loud,” and “strong,” etc. The structural concept of sound sensation has four dimensions: “height,” “feeling good,” “dimension,” and “rustling.” Americans identified the sound of wool fabric better than Koreans, while Koreans identified the sound of silk fabric better than Americans. The percent contributions of five variables of subject and fiber type to each sound sensation were calculated by ANOVA. Fiber type affected the four sound sensations most, followed by the subject's age and nationality. Other variables were hearing sensitivity and subject's gender.