Abstract
Detecting a change in spectral shape, when the change occurs at a single spectral locus, requires a simultaneous comparison of the unchanged part of the spectrum with the altered or “signal” part. What are the temporal parameters of the stimulus that influence such comparisons? To consider this question, a complex of 21‐equal‐amplitude components was used, ranging from 200–5000 Hz, with equal logarithmic spacing between components. The signal was an increase in level of one component of the multicomponent spectrum. Overall level of the sound varied randomly over a 20‐dB range. The signal component and the 20 nonsignal components were amplitude modulated separately. The relative phase of the two modulators was manipulated so that the signal and nonsignal components waxed and waned either in‐phase or out‐of‐phase. For modulation rates faster than about 40 Hz, the thresholds in the two conditions are nearly the same. Thus, for slower rates of modulation, the data suggest that the temporal structure of the spectrum is important, while above 40 Hz, only the power spectrum of the stimulus is critical. [Research supported by the National Institute of Health and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.]
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