Processing of complex sounds by the auditory system - Pitch related to spectral edges of broadband signals

• Published in: Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological sciences 1992-06, Vol.336 (1278), p.375-382
• Main Authors: Kohlrausch, Armin, Houtsma, Adrianus J. M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0962-8436; 1471-2970
• DOI: 10.1098/rstb.1992.0071

A complex tone often evokes a pitch sensation associated with its extreme spectral components, besides the holistic pitch associated with its fundamental frequency. We studied the edge pitch created at the upper spectral edge of complexes with a low-pass spectrum by asking subjects to adjust the frequency of a sinusoidal comparison tone to the perceived pitch. Measurements were performed for different values of the fundamental frequency and of the upper frequency of the complex as well as for three different phase relations of the harmonic components. For a wide range of these parameters the subjects could adjust the comparison tone with a high accuracy, measured as the standard deviation of repeated adjustments, to a frequency close to the nominal edge frequency. The detailed dependence of the matching accuracy on temporal parameters of the harmonic complexes suggests that the perception of the edge pitch in harmonic signals is related to the temporal resolution of the hearing system. This resolution depends primarily on the time constants of basilar-membrane filters and on additional limitations due to neuronal processes.