Relative pitch perception resists explanation by invariant interval ratios

Evidence

The idea that relative pitch perception depends solely on detecting a pattern of invariant pitch intervals is not supported by our results. Although the invariant property of the patterns in each trial is the sequence of pitch intervals defining the standard, listeners often could not use this information in the current experiment. Our results are compatible with the notion that in constructing object representations, the tolerance of the representation is a function of the variance in the pattern, i.e. increasing variance in object components, leads to more permissive representations. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5327

The idea that relative pitch perception depends solely on detecting a pattern of invariant pitch intervals is not supported by our results. Although the invariant property of the patterns in each trial is the sequence of pitch intervals defining the standard, listeners often could not use this information in the current experiment. Our results are compatible with the notion that in constructing object representations, the tolerance of the representation is a function of the variance in the pattern, i.e. increasing variance in object components, leads to more permissive representations. This makes sense when the general problem of perceptual categorisation is considered; e.g. the variability of the spoken word. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5330

Increasing the variance in the pattern intervals, as predicted, impairs performance. The idea that relative pitch perception depends solely on detecting a pattern of invariant pitch intervals is not supported by our results. Although the invariant property of the patterns in each trial is the sequence of pitch intervals defining the standard, listeners often could not use this information in the current experiment. Our results are compatible with the notion that in constructing object representations, the tolerance of the representation is a function of the variance in the pattern, i.e. increasing variance in object components, leads to more permissive representations. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5327

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: Suggests object tolerance scales with component variance, a general perceptual categorization principle touching speech and vision, not just pitch.
• corroborated: 7 independent passages support this claim — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5327; Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5330
• XREF: connects to: The central debate in pitch perception is whether humans are essentially walking Fourier analyzers; Relative pitch recognition is an auditory case of translation-invariant object perception — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5265; Pitch’s musical expressiveness may rest on detecting pitch differences, not complex interval patterns (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Relative pitch recognition is an auditory case of translation-invariant object perception #expands (0.85) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5265
• Equal frequency ratios occupy equal perceptual distances regardless of starting pitch #contradicts (0.85)
• Gestalt grouping principles predict relative pitch perception performance #expands (0.80)
• Pitch perception depends on harmonics being integer multiples of the fundamental #qualifies (0.75) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 864
• Rapid pattern detection rests on memory for absolute pitch rather than relative pitch relationships #corroborates (0.75)
• Pitch’s musical expressiveness may rest on detecting pitch differences, not complex interval patterns #complicates (0.72)