Pitch Perception

Abstract

Pitch is one of the primary auditory sensations and plays a defining role in music, speech, and auditory scene analysis. Although the main physical correlate of pitch is acoustic periodicity, or repetition rate, there are many interactions that complicate the relationship between the physical stimulus and the perception of pitch. In particular, the effects of other acoustic parameters on pitch judgments, and the complex interactions between perceptual organization and pitch, have uncovered interesting perceptual phenomena that should help to reveal the underlying neural mechanisms.