Measuring perceptual centers using the phase correction response

• Published in: Attention, perception & psychophysics perception & psychophysics, 2011-07, Vol.73 (5), p.1614-1629
• Main Authors: Villing, Rudi C., Repp, Bruno H., Ward, Tomas E., Timoney, Joseph M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activity levels. Psychomotricity; Adjustment; Auditory Perception; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Cognitive Psychology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Judgment; Methods; Motor Activity; Music; Oral Language; Phonetics; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychomotor activities; R&D; Research & development; Speech; Speech Perception; Time Perception
• ISSN: 1943-3921; 1943-393X
• DOI: 10.3758/s13414-011-0110-1

The perceptual center (P-center) is fundamental to the timing of heterogeneous event sequences, including music and speech. Unfortunately, there is currently no comprehensive and reliable model of P-centers in acoustic events, so P-centers must instead be measured empirically. This study reviews existing measurement methods and evaluates two methods in detail—the rhythm adjustment method and a new method based on the phase correction response (PCR) in a synchronous tapping task. The two methods yielded consistent P-center estimates and showed no evidence of P-center context dependence. The PCR method appears promising because it is accurate and efficient and does not require explicit perceptual judgments. As a secondary result, the magnitude of the PCR is shown to vary systematically with the onset complexity of speech sounds, which presumably reflects the perceived clarity of a sound’s P-center.