APA Dictionary of Psychology

n. a graph relating an individual’s pure-tone thresholds at selected frequencies to those of people with normal hearing. The x-axis is the frequency of the tone; the y-axis is hearing level (HL), expressed in decibels (dB). For example, a person whose threshold is 30 dB above normal for a 4 kHz tone would have an audiogram that shows a point at 4 kHz and 30 dB HL. The audiogram is a basic clinical measurement for assessing and diagnosing hearing disorders. See audiometer; audiometric zero. Compare audibility curve.