Forced‐choice discrimination of complex tones

Abstract

The study is part of a research program examining the effects of small integer frequency ratio relations on memory for unfamiliar (microtonal) sets of tones. Previous work indicated the benefit of both successive and simultaneous small integer context in an absolute judgment task. In order to determine whether such benefits were cognitive as opposed to sensory in origin, a quasifixed‐standard two‐alternative forced‐choice discrimination task was conducted that had lower demands on memory than the absolute judgment task but could potentially lead to the same context effects. Discrimination of nine complex tones of a microtonal scale ranging from 545 to 636 Hz (tones separated and discriminanda differing by one‐third semitone) was tested under simultaneous and successive context conditions. Preliminary data indicate that musically trained listeners, compared to untrained, showed a small but significant benefit from a dichotic simultaneous bass tone having the ratio 2:3 with one central tone of the nine‐tone...