System identification of auditory processes using noise probes in isolation or embedded into soundscapes

Abstract

This talk will cover large experimental datasets spanning different levels of auditory analysis from low-level to higher-level, with specific focus on two inter-related problems: (1) how to exploit perceptual weights and their derivatives to infer the structure of the underlying auditory process; (2) how to transfer these tools from identification of isolated processes to situations where the process is embedded within complex sounds (e.g., speech). I will highlight connections with recent developments in both auditory and vision literature, for example (in relation to number 1 and 2 above, respectively) detailed understanding of how important nonlinearities are reflected in identifiable modulations of perceptual weights, and construction of noise probes for smooth embedding within structured contexts together with associated tasks specifically designed to meanigfully probe contextual phenomena. These developments demonstrate very substantial progress over the past two decades, and offer new exciting dire...