Identification of temporal order within auditory sequences

Unpracticed Ss reported the order of sounds in sequences consisting of either three or four successive items repeated over and over without pause. With unrelated sounds each lasting 200 msec, correct reports of order were at chance level for oral responses and for card-ordering responses (each card bearing the name of one sound). The sequences with four unrelated items were studied in greater detail, and the threshold for identification was found to be 670 msec with oral responses and 300 msec with card-ordering responses. When two related sounds (tones) were used in four-item sequences, correct card-ordering was possible at 200 msec per item when the tones were temporally contiguous, but was not possible at this duration when the tones were separated by nonrelated sounds. Some special rules governing auditory sequence identification were suggested, and implications for theories of auditory perception discussed.