Low-frequency pitch judgments reflect temporal fine structure via neural phase locking

Evidence

For the low-frequency stimulus, the listeners were required to detect a common upward frequency shift (Δf Hz) imposed on the individual components of the SSMC with the spectral envelope remaining unchanged (Moore and Sek 2009 ). It was assumed that the listeners based their judgments on pitch changes, reflecting the temporal fine structure encoded as the pattern of neural phase locking. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 1043

Using a plausible refractory period of 2500 Hz, the simulation is able to extract the TE × TSFperiod even if the TSFperiod are too fast to be correctly encoded. The decrease in performances reported in Oxenham et al. ( 2011 ) when increasing the F0 from 1200 Hz to up to 2000 Hz is also simulated. This decrease is probably explained by a decrease in resolvability (less and less interactions between harmonic components) when increasing the F0. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 4641

Categorization

• QUESTION: Does an unchanged spectral envelope with shifted components actually isolate temporal fine structure from envelope cues, and how valid is that assumption?
• XREF: Connects to the reader’s goal of understanding TFS coding—a direct behavioral probe of phase-locking precision, complementing measures of frequency selectivity in the FRES task. — connects to: Residue pitch is computed in the auditory cortex within a tenth of a second; Frequency difference limens index temporal fine structure processing at low and medium frequencies.; DLF thresholds reflect temporal fine structure processing, not frequency selectivity (+14 more)
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 1043; Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 4641

Broader Connections

• Pitch perception is encoded by the timing of neural firing in the cochlea #corroborates (0.90) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1655
• Pitch perception involves both spectral and temporal representations of sound #expands (0.82) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 4638
• Phase locking fails above 5 kHz, so high-pitch perception relies on place theory #qualifies (0.80)
• Weak musical pitch perception can persist without peripheral phase locking. #qualifies (0.78) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5420
• An interaural phase transition in noise evokes a pitch sensation #exemplifies (0.72) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 1043
• Clear pitch perception depends on periodic repetition of the pressure wave #expands (0.70) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 774