Melodic interval identification degrades once about 9-10 harmonics are removed

Evidence

Data from Houtsma and Smurzynski (1990) are shown in Figure 6–14 to illustrate the existence region. They generated a series of complex sounds and asked listeners to identify the melodic interval (e.g., a musical third or a fifth). They then progressively removed the low-frequency harmonics and measured the percent correct identification as a function of lowest harmonic present in the stimulus. Figure 6–14 illustrates, very strongly, that listeners began to have difficulty identifying the melodic intervals once about 9 or 10 harmonics were removed. However, even when many harmonics were missing, the scores obtained by Houtsma and Smurzynski were above guessing. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1289

Categorization

• XREF: Reproduces in pitch perception what the reader’s broader exploration of normal vs. impaired hearing needs: a concrete behavioral boundary (9-10 harmonics) as a perceptual reference.