Abstract
A perceptual phenomenon is reported, whereby prior acoustic context has a large, rapid and long-lasting effect on a basic auditory judgement. Pairs of tones were devised to include ambiguous transitions between frequency components, such that listeners were equally likely to report an upward or downward ‘pitch’ shift between tones. We show that presenting context tones before the ambiguous pair almost fully determines the perceived direction of shift. The context effect generalizes to a wide range of temporal and spectral scales, encompassing the characteristics of most realistic auditory scenes. Magnetoencephalographic recordings show that a relative reduction in neural responsivity is correlated to the behavioural effect. Finally, a computational model reproduces behavioural results, by implementing a simple constraint of continuity for binding successive sounds in a probabilistic manner. Contextual processing, mediated by ubiquitous neural mechanisms such as adaptation, may be crucial to track complex sound sources over time.
Highlights
A perceptual phenomenon is reported, whereby prior acoustic context has a large, rapid and long-lasting effect on a basic auditory judgement
As we hypothesized that these stimuli should be maximally sensitive to context effects[30,31] Shepard tones were used[32], consisting of many pure tones with octave relationships and covering all audible octaves (Fig. 1a)
We have reported behavioural data showing that prior context can have a profound influence on a simple auditory judgement of pitch shift
Summary
A perceptual phenomenon is reported, whereby prior acoustic context has a large, rapid and long-lasting effect on a basic auditory judgement. We report behavioural, neural and computational evidence showing that human auditory perception seamlessly binds prior context into current perceptual decisions, and that this influence is exerted over simple features over a wide range of sound parameters. In an influential series of experiments[9], it was found that the perception of formants and vowel identity can be changed through brief exposure to a speech context containing shifted formants This was interpreted as evidence of speaker normalization through contrast enhancement[9] and viewed as a compensation for motor processes specific to speech[10]. It has been demonstrated that prolonged exposure was not always necessary: even very brief contexts lasting as little as 100 ms in some cases can lead to contrastive shifts in the perception of spectral motion[22,23]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
