General functions and specific applications of environmental sound research.

Environmental sound research is still in its beginning stages, although in recent years there has started to accumulate a body of research, both on the perception of environmental sounds themselves, and on their practical applications in other areas of auditory research and cognitive science. In this chapter some of those practical applications are detailed, combined with a discussion of the implications of environmental sound research for auditory perception in general, and finally some outstanding issues and possible directions for future research are outlined.