Modern pitch research relies on discrimination tasks because subjective pitch ratings are problematic

Evidence

Subjective measures of pitch can be valuable and inform our understanding of how sounds are assigned a pitch and the factors that affect that perception. Accompanying measures, such as just noticeable differences, can complement the subjective measures of pitch described previously. Due to the problematic nature of subjective pitch measurements, most modern experimental evaluations of pitch perception involve discrimination experiments. Techniques adopted in frequency discrimination experiments usually involve standard psychophysical procedures, such as 2-interval, 2-alternative-forced choice (2I–2AFC) and adaptive staircase threshold estimating procedures. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1257

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces 2I-2AFC and adaptive staircase as the standard psychophysical procedures behind pitch measurement.