Middle ear muscle contractions (MEMC) have been considered potential sources of
protection from impulsive noises for over 50 years (Ward, 1968) due to their expected
attenuation of signals through the middle ear. It is fundamental to the hypothesis of
protection that the MEMC will occur at known times and with known acoustic effects. There is
scant research examining MEMC in response to brief sounds, such as gunshots, using a
population known to have an intact system activating the MEMC. If, in this population …