Evaluation of an imputed pitch velocity model of the auditory tau effect

This article extends an imputed pitch velocity model of the auditory kappa effect proposed by Henry and McAuley (2009a) to the auditory tau effect. Two experiments were conducted using an AXB design in which listeners judged the relative pitch of a middle target tone (X) in ascending and descending three-tone sequences. In Experiment 1, sequences were isochronous, establishing constant fast, medium, and slow velocity conditions. No systematic distortions in perceived target pitch were observed, and thresholds were similar across velocity conditions. Experiment 2 introduced to-be-ignored variations in target timing. Variations in target timing that deviated from constant velocity conditions introduced systematic distortions in perceived target pitch, indicative of a robust auditory tau effect. Consistent with an auditory motion hypothesis, the magnitude of the tau effect was larger at faster velocities. In addition, the tau effect was generally stronger for descending sequences than for ascending sequences. Combined with previous work on the auditory kappa effect, the imputed velocity model and associated auditory motion hypothesis provide a unified quantitative account of both auditory tau and kappa effects. In broader terms, these findings add support to the view that pitch and time relations in auditory patterns are fundamentally interdependent.     

Examining auditory kappa effects through manipulating intensity differences between sequential tones

The auditory kappa effect is a tendency to base the perceived duration of an inter-onset interval (IOI) separating two sequentially presented sounds on the degree of relative pitch distance separating them. Previous research has found that the degree of frequency discrepancy between tones extends the subjective duration of the IOI. In Experiment 1, auditory kappa effects for sound intensity were tested using a three-tone, AXB paradigm (where the intensity of tone X was shifted to be closer to either Tone A or B). Tones closer in intensity level were perceived as occurring closer in time, evidence of an auditory-intensity kappa effect. In Experiments 2 and 3, the auditory motion hypothesis was tested by preceding AXB patterns with null intensity and coherent intensity context sequences, respectively. The auditory motion hypothesis predicts that coherent sequences should enhance the perception of motion and increase the strength of kappa effects. In this study, the presence of context sequences reduced kappa effect strength regardless of the properties of the context tones.     

The interdependence of pitch and temporal judgments by absolute pitch possessors

The auditory tau and the kappa effects show that there is time-pitch interdependence in our perception. Our judgments of pitch separation between two tones depend on the temporal interval between them (the auditory tau effect), and our judgments of the tones’ temporal interval depend on their pitch separation (the kappa effect). The mechanisms underlying this interdependence were investigated by studying the auditory tau and the kappa effect in three experiments. Comparisons were made between results obtained from subjects with absolute pitch and those who did not have absolute pitch, and two frequency ranges of pure tones (octave and whole-tone conditions) were selected. The procedures had been used in previous experiments (Shigeno, 1986), in which the auditory tau and the kappa effects were compared in speech and nonspeech stimuli. The present results demonstrate that the auditory tau effect does not occur when possessors of absolute pitch judge the closeness of stimuli in pitch, except when the stimulus continuum consists of tones that do not correspond to musical notes in the whole-tone condition. The kappa effect was obtained in the judgment of possessors of absolute pitch in both the octave and the whole-tone conditions. These findings suggest that the interaction between temporal interval and pitch judgment might be explained in terms of the two different memory modes for retaining the pitch of tones, and that these effects occur at the precategorical level.     

Ramifications of a population model forκ as a coefficient of reliability

Coefficient is generally defined in terms of procedures of computation rather than in terms of a population. Here a population definition is proposed. On this basis, the interpretation of as a measure of diagnostic reliability in characterizing an individual, and the effect of reliability, as measured by, on estimation bias, precision, and test power are examined. Factors influencing the magnitude of are identified. Strategies to improve reliability are proposed, including that of combining multiple unreliable diagnoses.This investigation was supported in part by the National Institute of Mental Health Specialized Research Center Grant # MH-30854.     

Tonal frequency shifts and gaps in acoustic stimulation as reflex-modifying events

When a relatively weak signal, such as a mild tone, precedes an intense reflex-eliciting stimulus by an appropriate interval (about 100 msec), the amplitude of the elicited reaction is often reduced. It was found that in student volunteers a brief gap in a steady pure tone that occurred 150 msec prior to a mild tap to the glabella (the flat region between the eyebrows) could inhibit the eyeblink elicited by the tap. It was also found that a shift in tonal frequency across a gap in a tone was more inhibitory than a gap with no frequency shift, but it was no more inhibitory than the onset of the short second tone alone. The final study determined the minimum amount of frequency shift required to produce an additional inhibitory effect above that of a gap alone. The findings are discussed in terms of various aspects of sensory processing.     

The effect of a flashing visual stimulus on the auditory continuity illusion

The effect of a visual stimulus on the auditory continuity illusion was examined. Observers judged whether a tone that was repeatedly alternated with a band-pass noise was continuous or discontinuous. In most observers, a transient visual stimulus that was synchronized with the onset of the noise increased the limit of illusory continuity in terms of maximum noise duration and maximum tone level. The smaller the asynchrony between the noise onset and the visual stimulus onset, the larger the visual effect on this illusion. On the other hand, detection of a tone added to the noise was not enhanced by the visual stimulus. These results cannot be fully explained by the conventional theory that illusory continuity is created by the decomposition of peripheral excitation produced by the occluding sound.     

Perceptual grouping in audition

The present experiments evaluated the effect of relative frequency as a determinant of the figure-ground organization of sequences of auditory tones. Observers counted sequences of 20 ms tones that were presented at the same frequency or that alternated between two different frequencies. The alternating tones differed in frequency by one whole tone, seven tones, or nineteen tones. Counting accuracy increased with increases in the silent interval between the tones. When the alternating tones differed by seven or nineteen tones, counting was disrupted at rates of presentation of eight tones per second or slower. In contrast to this decrement in the counting of tones that alternated by over an octave, very little decrement was observed when the tones alternated by just one whole tone. The best subjects counted these alternating tones more accurately than the tones presented at the same frequency. The poorest subjects showed a small decrement even when the tones alternated by just one whole tone. The results were discussed in terms of determinants of figure-ground organization in auditory information processing.     

Category size effects revisited: frequency and masked priming effects in semantic categorization

Previous work indicates that semantic categorization decisions for nonexemplars (e.g., deciding that TURBAN is not an animal name) are faster for high-frequency words than low-frequency words. However, there is evidence that this result might depend on category size. When narrow categories are used (e.g., Months, Numbers), there is no frequency effect for nonexemplars. This result is confirmed, and is explained in terms of a category search model, which allows a "No" decision to be generated without access to the lexical entry for the target word. This explains the absence of a frequency effect, but not the presence of a strong masked repetition priming effect, which is assumed to have a lexical source. It is shown that this effect may not be lexical, since nonwords also show similar priming. Both of these priming effects disappear when a larger category is used. This pattern of results is explained on the assumption that category search is only possible with small categories, and that tentative category decisions are generated for the unconsciously perceived prime, which leads to a marked response congruence effect.     

Effect of locus of warning tone on auditory choice reaction time

Forty Ss pressed a left- or right-hand key depending on the ear in which they heard a 500-Hz stimulus tone. Half of the Ss were instructed to press the key on the same side as the ear stimulated (corresponding condition), while the other half pressed the key on the opposite side (noncorresponding condition). A 200-Hz warning tone preceded the stimulus tone by either 200 or 400 msec. The warning tone was presented to the left ear, the right ear, or to both ears in a predetermined random sequence. The locus of the warning tone affected RT on noncorresponding trials but not on corresponding trials. The effect consisted of a significant slowing of information processing on trials where the warning tone was contralateral to the response. Results were explained in terms of an initial tendency to respond toward the source of the warning tone.     

Asymmetry of masking between noise and tone

A pure tone was used to mask narrow and wide bands of noise centered on the frequency of the tone. In a given experimental session, the sound-pressure level (SPL) of the tone was held constant and loudness balances were obtained between a masked and unmasked noise band of equal width. These results are compared to earlier measures of the partial masking of tone by noise. The comparison shows that noise masks a tone more effectively than the tone masks the noise. Although the effect of the tone on a critical band of noise is greater than its effect on either an octave-band noise or wide-band noise, it is considerably smaller than the effect of the noise on the tone. Decreasing the noise bandwidth still further to a subcritical width reduces the asymmetry of masking somewhat, but a difference at high intensities of about 20 dB between the masking effects of an equally intense noise and tone remains. Whether the masker is a tone or noise, masking ceases when the effective energy of the masked and masking stimuli is the same.     

Attenuation of latent inhibition after compound pre-exposure: Associative and perceptual explanations

Three experiments used rats as subjects and the conditioned emotional response (CER) paradigm to examine the effect of pre-exposure to a compound stimulus on the extent of latent inhibition to an element of that compound. In Experiment 1a a group of rats exposed to a compound that comprised a tone and a click exhibited less latent inhibition to the tone than did a group that had received pre-exposure to the tone in isolation. Experiment 1b showed that pre-exposure to the tone/click compound also resulted in an attenuation of latent inhibition to the click relative to a group that was pre-exposed to the click in isolation. Experiment 2 demonstrated that latent inhibition to the tone was left intact following pre-exposure to the tone in compound with a light. This pattern of results seems to be most plausibly explained in terms of the presence and absence of generalization decrement following compound pre-exposure.     

汉语双字词超音段信息在语义激活中的作用

采用眼动方法,通过两个实验考察了汉语双字词超音段信息在语义激活中的作用。结果显示：（1）汉语双字词语义激活过程中,分别改变首字声调和尾字声调对语义激活起到抑制作用,首字声调改变时的抑制作用更大。结果支持了Cohort模型。（2）语义相关词的注视点和注视时间远远多于其控制词,但没有发现词频效应。（3）汉语声调的加工过程与声韵母一样,独立作用于语义激活过程。     

The effect of a cross-trial shift of auditory warning signals on the sequential foreperiod effect

When a warning signal (WS) precedes an imperative signal (IS) by a certain amount of time (the foreperiod, FP), responses are speeded. Moreover, this effect is modulated by the FP length in the previous trial. This sequential FP effect has lately been attributed to a trace-conditioning mechanism according to which individuals learn (and re-learn) temporal relationships between the WS and the IS. Recent evidence suggests that sensory WS attributes are critical to trigger time-related response activation. Specifically, when WS modality is shifted in subsequent trials (e.g., from auditory to visual modality), the sequential FP effect becomes attenuated. This study examined whether the sequential FP effect is reduced only by between-modality shifts or whether this attenuation generalizes to cross-trial shifts of WS attributes within modalities. We compared dimensional (low vs. high tone frequency) and qualitative shifts (pure tone vs. noise) of equal-intense auditory WS events. The results of four experiments revealed that shifts of tone frequency did not, whereas shifts of qualitative tone characteristics did attenuate the sequential FP effect. These results support the view that the WS acts as a trigger cue that unintentionally activates responses at previously reinforced critical moments.     

An objective measurement of the build-up of auditory streaming and of its modulation by attention

Three experiments studied auditory streaming using sequences of alternating "ABA" triplets, where "A" and "B" were 50-ms tones differing in frequency by Δf semitones and separated by 75-ms gaps. Experiment 1 showed that detection of a short increase in the gap between a B tone and the preceding A tone, imposed on one ABA triplet, was better when the delay occurred early versus late in the sequence, and for Δf = 4 vs. Δf = 8. The results of this experiment were consistent with those of a subjective streaming judgment task. Experiment 2 showed that the detection of a delay 12.5 s into a 13.5-s sequence could be improved by requiring participants to perform a task on competing stimuli presented to the other ear for the first 10 s of that sequence. Hence, adding an additional task demand could improve performance via its effect on the perceptual organization of a sound sequence. The results demonstrate that attention affects streaming in an objective task and that the effects of build-up are not completely under voluntary control. In particular, even though build-up can impair performance in an objective task, participants are unable to prevent this from happening.     

Lateralization of very-short-duration tone pulses of low and high frequencies

The position and image-width of the simultaneous images produced by very short tone pulses were measured as a function of interaural time difference (ITD) at both low- (250 and 800 Hz) and high- (2500 and 8000 Hz) frequencies using a direct-estimation technique.

Primary images are lateralized towards the ear receiving the leading stimulus. At low frequencies image position is proportional to interaural phase-difference (IPD) below 90° and remains at the lead-ear for larger values. At high frequencies image position is proportional to ITD up to 500-1000 μsec. Secondary images are reported on the opposite side of the head for IPDs greater than 180° at low frequencies, and at ITDs greater than 500 μsec at high frequencies. Image width is approximately constant for all ITDs and both images at a given frequency, but becomes more compact as frequency increases.

The data are discussed in terms of onset cues and stimulus fine-structure cues. The best explanation is in terms of an onset mechanism, but one that is calibrated in terms of IPD at low frequencies. The existence of double images is explained in terms of a breakdown in the mechanism determining fusion.     

Preference for signalled reinforcement

Key pecking was reinforced on a two-component multiple schedule. A variable-interval schedule controlled reinforcement in both components. During one component, access to reinforcement was preceded by a tone; in the other component, a standard unsignalled schedule was in effect. After performance stabilized, subjects were given a choice between the signalled and unsignalled schedules. They were placed in the chamber with the unsignalled schedule in effect on the right key. A single response on the left, or changeover, key produced the signalled schedule for 1 min. Both pigeons in Experiment I pecked the changeover key at a rate sufficient to remain under the signalled schedule for over 90% of the session. Removing and reintroducing the tone demonstrated that the changeover-key responses were due to the occurrence of the tone. In Experiment II, when pecking the changeover key produced the unsignalled schedule, pecking the changeover key declined. The results may be explained either in terms of Hendry's information hypothesis or as escape from an intermittent positive reinforcement schedule.     

Tone‐affect compatibility with affective stimuli and affective responses

Three experiments examine multimodal integration of tone pitch (high/low), facial expression stimuli (happy/angry), and responses (happy/angry) in a compatibility paradigm. When the participants' task is to imitate facial expressions (Experiment 1), smiles are facilitated by high tones whereas frowns are facilitated by low tones. Experiments 2 and 3 further analyse this effect and show that there is both integration between the tone stimulus and the facial stimulus and between the tone stimulus and the facial response. Results suggest that pitch height is associated with emotion. An interpretation in terms of an embodied cognition approach that emphasizes an interweavement of perception and action is discussed.     

Word associations contribute to machine learning in automatic scoring of degree of emotional tones in dream reports

Scientific study of dreams requires the most objective methods to reliably analyze dream content. In this context, artificial intelligence should prove useful for an automatic and non subjective scoring technique. Past research has utilized word search and emotional affiliation methods, to model and automatically match human judges’ scoring of dream report’s negative emotional tone. The current study added word associations to improve the model’s accuracy. Word associations were established using words’ frequency of co-occurrence with their defining words as found in a dictionary and an encyclopedia. It was hypothesized that this addition would facilitate the machine learning model and improve its predictability beyond those of previous models. With a sample of 458 dreams, this model demonstrated an improvement in accuracy from 59% to 63% (kappa = .485) on the negative emotional tone scale, and for the first time reached an accuracy of 77% (kappa = .520) on the positive scale.     

Frequency discrimination of complex periodic tones

When the components of a two-tone periodic complex differ slightly in amplitude and frequency, the pitch is shifted toward the more intense tone. This well-known phenomenon has been explained by differences in the instantaneous frequency functions of the complex tones. In this experiment, three listeners were asked to discriminate between complementary pairs of two-component complex tones. The results indicate that discriminability may depend upon differences in the envelope-weighted instantaneous frequency functions of the two-tone complexes.     

Frequency-shift detectors bind binaural as well as monaural frequency representations

Previous psychophysical work provided evidence for the existence of automatic frequency-shift detectors (FSDs) that establish perceptual links between successive sounds. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of the FSDs with respect to the binaural system. Listeners were presented with sound sequences consisting of a chord of pure tones followed by a single test tone. Two tasks were performed. In the "present/absent" task, the test tone was either identical to one of the chord components or positioned halfway in frequency between two components, and listeners had to discriminate between these two possibilities. In the "up/down" task, the test tone was slightly different in frequency from one of the chord components and listeners had to identify the direction (up or down) of the corresponding shift. When the test tone was a pure tone presented monaurally, either to the same ear as the chord or to the opposite ear, listeners performed the up/down task better than the present/absent task. This paradoxical advantage for directional frequency shifts, providing evidence for FSDs, persisted when the test tone was replaced by a dichotic stimulus consisting of noise but evoking a pitch sensation as a consequence of binaural processing. Performance in the up/down task was similar for the dichotic stimulus and for a monaural narrow-band noise matched in pitch salience to it. Our results indicate that the FSDs are insensitive to sound localization mechanisms and operate on central frequency representations, at or above the level of convergence of the monaural auditory pathways.