Extension of a binaural cross-correlation model by contralateral inhibition. II. The law of the first wave front.

Abstract

This paper explains the "law of the first wave front" and related binaural phenomena on the basis of the model presented in the previous paper [Lindemann, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 80, 1608-1622 (1986)] in which a contralateral inhibition mechanism was added to the well-known model of binaural cross correlation. In order to verify the predictions of the extended model, psychoacoustic experiments were performed with pairs of narrow-band impulses which were presented through headphones. The test signals consisted of a diotic primary sound and an "echo" with an interaural arrival-time difference. Lateralization was measured as a function of the time delay between primary sound and echo. For delays below the echo threshold, summing localization and the law of the first wave front were simulated; for delays above the echo threshold, the model predicts an influence of the primary sound on the lateralization of the echo.