Headphone reversal changes the sound pattern yet not what listeners report hearing

Evidence

Despite its simplicity, this pattern is almost never heard correctly, and instead produces a number of illusions. Many people hear a single tone which switches from ear to ear, while its pitch simultaneously shifts back and forth between high and low. So it seems as though one ear is receiving the pattern ‚high tone—silence—high tone— silence’ while at the same time the other ear is receiving the pattern ‘silence—low tone—silence—low tone.’ Even more strangely, when the earphone positions are reversed many people hear the same thing: The tone that had appeared in the right ear still appears in the right ear, and the tone that had appeared in the left ear still appears in the left ear. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2181

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to other auditory illusion literature and to the phantom tone controversies mentioned at the chapter’s opening; also relevant to how spatial hearing cues interact with pitch.
• QUESTION: Why does the illusory ear-assignment persist when earphones reverse — is this about learned spatial expectations overriding sensory input?
• CANDY: A great party-science fact: reverse the headphones and people still insist the high tone is in the same ear.