Ear dominance for dichotically presented complex and pure tones

Abstract

Ear dominance for nine subjects was determined for dichotically presented amplitude modulated (AM) sinusoids as a function of modulated and modulation frequencies. Ear dominance for five of these subjects was also determined for pure tone pairs centered around one of the modulated frequencies and around one of the modulation frequencies, so that ear dominance for pure tone pairs could be compared to that for AM signals in the frequency region of AM signal energy and in the frequency region of periodicity pitch of the AM signals. All signals were presented in a 2AFC paradigm such that competing tonal sequences were heard at each ear. Subjects reported the pitch sequence heard for each trial, and estimates of ear dominance were then inferred from the data. Ear dominance was observed for one‐third of the subjects tested with AM signals, and it decreased as the center frequency of the test signals was increased. No definite effect of modulation frequency (component frequency spacing) was observed. All subjects tested with pure tone signals exhibited ear dominance to some degree. In general, ear dominance for AM signals was more closely related to the one pure tones centered around the modulation frequency than to that for pure tones centered around the modulated frequency.