Pitch is a human synthesis keyed to autocorrelation, not pure physics

Evidence

If pitch is not determined by periodicity, perhaps then by autocorrelation? Now we are getting somewhere. The first major peak in the autocorrelation after the ever-present peak at time 0 in the preceding example occurs at 0.00956 second, which corresponds to 104.6 Hz. If sounds resolve into several distinct pitches, these will have corresponding peaks in the autocorrelation. Pitch is associated with something more important than the presence or absence of a single partial: its tendency to repeat itself at given intervals. The generalization of this concept to sounds that are not strictly periodic is the autocorrelation function. Periodic signals will always have peaks at multiples of the period that mirror the peak at time zero. The analogs of such periodicity are peaks in the autocorrelation of nonperiodic signals. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2033 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Qualitative pitch mirrors the qualitative nature of autocorrelation peaks; Autocorrelation predicts pitch yet met lukewarm reception — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2085; Pitch perception corresponds to peaks in the autocorrelation function — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2033 (+7 more)

Related

• Pitch perception corresponds to peaks in the autocorrelation function (similarity 0.95)
• The auditory system performs pitch analysis as autocorrelation per sub-band, summed into a correlogram. (similarity 0.92)
• Qualitative pitch mirrors the qualitative nature of autocorrelation peaks (similarity 0.92)
• Autocorrelation predicts pitch yet met lukewarm reception (similarity 0.92)
• Autocorrelation predicts perceived pitch of non-harmonic partial groups (similarity 0.92)
• Perceived pitch is set primarily by fundamental frequency. (similarity 0.90)
• Listeners reconstruct a perceived pitch that is not physically present (similarity 0.88)
• Autocorrelation, proposed in 1951, remains essential to pitch perception theory (similarity 0.87)
• Pitch resolution exceeds smeared bandwidth via peak-locating algorithms (similarity 0.87)
• Autocorrelation models explain pitch and can separate concurrent vowel sounds differing in fundamental frequency (similarity 0.87)
• Higher partials dominate pitch because their sharper autocorrelation peaks win (similarity 0.86)
• Pitch of periodic sounds is determinable from the waveform’s cycle period (similarity 0.86)
• Human pitch discrimination far exceeds the ear’s filter resolution (similarity 0.86)
• Perfect pitch works by matching autocorrelation peaks between heard sound and remembered notes (similarity 0.85)
• Pitch is perceptual while frequency is acoustic, and not all sounds have pitch (similarity 0.85)

Broader Connections

• Qualitative pitch mirrors the qualitative nature of autocorrelation peaks #expands (0.90)
• Pitch perception corresponds to peaks in the autocorrelation function #corroborates (0.90) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2033
• Pitch maps to repetition frequency but is not a simple physical property. #corroborates (0.85)
• Pitch can be perceived even when no partial exists at that frequency #exemplifies (0.80) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2031
• Pitch is a subjective perceptual judgment requiring a human listener to measure. #expands (0.80)
• Autocorrelation models explain pitch and can separate concurrent vowel sounds differing in fundamental frequency #corroborates (0.80) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1658
• Autocorrelation predicts perceived pitch of non-harmonic partial groups #corroborates (0.80)
• Listeners reconstruct a perceived pitch that is not physically present #expands (0.80)
• Autocorrelation predicts pitch yet met lukewarm reception #corroborates (0.75) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2085