Abstract
The human auditory system is sensitive in detecting “mistuned” components in a harmonic complex, which do not match the frequency pattern defined by the fundamental frequency of the complex. Depending on the frequency configuration, the mistuned component may be perceptually segregated from the complex and may be heard as a separate tone. In the context of a masking experiment, mistuning a single component decreases its masked threshold. In this study we propose to quantify the ability to detect a single component for fixed amounts of mistuning by adaptively varying its level. This method produces masking release by mistuning that can be compared to other masking release effects. Detection thresholds were obtained for various frequency configurations where the target component was resolved or unresolved in the auditory system. The results from 6 normal-hearing listeners show a significant decrease of masked thresholds between harmonic and mistuned conditions in all configurations and provide evidence for the employment of different detection strategies for resolved and unresolved components. The data suggest that across-frequency processing is involved in the release from masking. The results emphasize the ability of this method to assess integrative aspects of pitch and harmonicity perception.
Highlights
The harmonicity of a signal is an important feature in auditory grouping
The most commonly used cue is mistuning, i.e., shifting the frequency of a target component in such a way that it no longer matches the harmonic frequency pattern defined by the F0 of the complex (e.g., [3,4,5,6])
Mistuning effectively provides release from masking, enabling or facilitating the detection of a single component that would otherwise be masked by the rest of the harmonic complex
Summary
The harmonicity of a signal is an important feature in auditory grouping. It allows humans to group frequency components that have a common fundamental frequency (F0) into a single auditory object (e.g., [1]). A direct investigation of the effect of mistuning on detection thresholds is possible in detection experiments, where a single component of a complex is the target signal that has to be detected, and the rest of the complex is regarded as the masker, effectively masking the component ([7,8]) In these experiments, the level of the target component is varied adaptively to obtain detection thresholds for various stimulus configurations. The level of the target component is varied adaptively to obtain detection thresholds for various stimulus configurations This method has the advantage that it generates detection thresholds that allow comparison to and possibly combination with other masking release effects such as comodulation masking release (e.g., [9]) or binaural unmasking (e.g., [10]), as these effects are investigated by measuring and comparing detection thresholds. Both studies measured detection thresholds for one fixed percentage of mistuning only
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