Multidimensional scaling reveals dissimilarity structures without labeling perceived attributes

Evidence

Researchers have attempted to identify relationships between particular features in the outputs from acoustic musical instruments and their perceived timbre. A significant experiment in this field was conducted by Grey (1977). Listeners were asked to rate the similarity between recordings of pairs of synthesized musical instruments on a numerical scale from 1 to 30. All sounds were equalized in pitch, loudness and duration. The results were analyzed by “multidimensional scaling,” which is a computational technique that places the instruments in relation to each other in a multidimensional space based on the similarity ratings given by listeners. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1482 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Sensory science quantifies perceptual attributes through structured descriptive analysis; Multidimensional scaling maps perceived timbre differences between instruments — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1482; Free sorting lets subjects define their own perceptual similarity criteria (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Multidimensional scaling maps perceived timbre differences between instruments #corroborates (0.85) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1482
• Triadic comparison tests can derive perceptual structures without direct labeling #corroborates (0.82)
• Free sorting lets subjects define their own perceptual similarity criteria #expands (0.78)
• Affect perception is measured on arousal and valence dimensions rather than emotion labels #expands (0.72)