Monaural discrimination of phase change as a function of initial phase in two‐tone octave complexes

Abstract

A multidimensional scaling study by Hall and Schroeder (1972) suggested that the percept caused by a change in the phase relationship between the two components of an octave complex is dependent only on the amount of change and not on the initial phase within the complex itself. The current study examines that suggestion of uniform perception of phase change. We utilized the paradigm of Nixon, Raiford, and Schubert (1970) to determine the ability of six subjects to detect 30°, 45°, 60°, or 75° changes in the relative phase of the second harmonic of a 250 Hz tone when the initial phase relationship of the octave complex was one of eight standards spaced at 45° intervals. The results showed little support for uniform phase change perception. Analyses based upon theories of aural harmonics, zero‐crossing timing, and peak‐to‐peak timing showed that no one of these theories is sufficient to explain the results. This confirms and extends the early conclusions of Craig and Jeffress (1962) and points to the complex nature of phase processing. [Partially supported by the Knowles, Research Foundation and the Ear Research Institute.]