Adaptation of central pitch-specific mechanisms. 2007

Dennis P Phillips, and Susan J Scovil, and Martha E Carmichael, and Susan E Hall
Hearing Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4J1, Canada. dennis.phillips@dal.ca

Three previous psychophysical studies have demonstrated that interaural time difference (ITD) coding mechanisms can undergo frequency-specific, selective adaptation. We sought to determine whether this phenomenon extends to the pitch domain, by employing the same psycho-physical paradigm as one used previously, but with harmonic tone complexes lacking energy at the fundamental frequency. Ten normal listeners participated in experiment 1. Psychometric functions for ITDs were obtained for harmonic tone complexes with fundamental frequencies of 110 Hz and 185 Hz, before and after selective adaptation with complexes of the same fundamental frequencies lateralised to opposite sides. In experiment 1, each subject was tested twice. On separate days, subjects were tested with 110 Hz and 185 Hz stimuli that were either partially resolvable complexes or unresolvable ones. Both partially resolved and unresolved stimuli supported adaptation, and at both fundamental frequencies. In experiment 2, which employed nine listeners, the adaptor tone complexes were presented in conjunction with a diotic noise background designed to mask difference tones generated by the adaptor stimuli. The use of the masker had little effect on the mean strength of the adaptation effected by the unresolved adaptor stimuli, and only slightly weakened the adaptation effect found with the partially resolved adaptor stimuli. Taken together, these data constitute the first demonstration of selective adaptation exerted on a central mechanism in the pitch domain.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D010897 Pitch Discrimination The ability to differentiate sound frequency or pitch. Discrimination, Pitch,Pitch Discriminations
D011571 Psychoacoustics The science pertaining to the interrelationship of psychologic phenomena and the individual's response to the physical properties of sound. Psychoacoustic
D011594 Psychometrics Assessment of psychological variables by the application of mathematical procedures. Psychometric
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000161 Acoustic Stimulation Use of sound to elicit a response in the nervous system. Auditory Stimulation,Stimulation, Acoustic,Stimulation, Auditory
D000222 Adaptation, Physiological The non-genetic biological changes of an organism in response to challenges in its ENVIRONMENT. Adaptation, Physiologic,Adaptations, Physiologic,Adaptations, Physiological,Adaptive Plasticity,Phenotypic Plasticity,Physiological Adaptation,Physiologic Adaptation,Physiologic Adaptations,Physiological Adaptations,Plasticity, Adaptive,Plasticity, Phenotypic
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults

Related Publications

Dennis P Phillips, and Susan J Scovil, and Martha E Carmichael, and Susan E Hall
December 1986, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America,
Dennis P Phillips, and Susan J Scovil, and Martha E Carmichael, and Susan E Hall
March 1978, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America,
Dennis P Phillips, and Susan J Scovil, and Martha E Carmichael, and Susan E Hall
August 1964, Nature,
Dennis P Phillips, and Susan J Scovil, and Martha E Carmichael, and Susan E Hall
January 1965, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America,
Dennis P Phillips, and Susan J Scovil, and Martha E Carmichael, and Susan E Hall
December 2008, Psychological science,
Dennis P Phillips, and Susan J Scovil, and Martha E Carmichael, and Susan E Hall
April 1977, Biochemical pharmacology,
Dennis P Phillips, and Susan J Scovil, and Martha E Carmichael, and Susan E Hall
April 1953, British heart journal,
Dennis P Phillips, and Susan J Scovil, and Martha E Carmichael, and Susan E Hall
October 2020, Scientific reports,
Dennis P Phillips, and Susan J Scovil, and Martha E Carmichael, and Susan E Hall
September 2012, The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience,
Dennis P Phillips, and Susan J Scovil, and Martha E Carmichael, and Susan E Hall
September 1973, Fiziologicheskii zhurnal SSSR imeni I. M. Sechenova,
Copied contents to your clipboard!