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This thesis investigates differences in sound level perception between musicians and nonmusicians, and whether or not the vestibular system may account for these differences. Previous studies have indicated that the vestibular system contributes to hearing (Todd et al., 2014b), and the connection between these systems might be influenced by musicianship, ie musical experience.

The thesis includes online experiments (questionnaires and tests) and laboratory-based tests. For the online experiments, questionnaires and an online music-listening preference (MLP) test were conducted, with 28 musicians and 41 non-musicians completing the online experiments. For the laboratory-based experiments, the MLP test, AC-BC loudness matching test and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (c-VEMPs) test were performed, with 93 musicians and 97 non-musicians completing the lab-based experiments. In Chapter 1, a literature review presents existing knowledge on the topic explored in this thesis and explains the research questions and hypotheses. In Chapter 2, the general methodology of this thesis is given. In Chapter 3, the results of the online and laboratory-based MLP tests are presented. Musicians had significantly higher MLPs than non-musicians in laboratory-based MLP but not in the online MLP. In Chapter 4, the results of the AC-BC loudness matching test are reported. The AC-BC loudness matching gaps at low frequencies (LFs; 0.5 and 1 kHz) were significantly bigger than at high frequencies (HFs; 2 and 4 kHz) across all participants. Musicians also had significantly bigger ACBC loudness matching gaps at all frequencies …