Spatial separation can split identical sound sequences into percepts of distinct sources

Evidence

Spatial information can act as a grouping cue to assist the segregation of an acoustic stimulus into discrete sounds. For example, when a rhythmic sequence of identical sound bursts is presented from a single location, it is often perceived as one source. But, when the sound sequence is presented from two different locations, it can be perceived as two sounds … Such findings suggest that a mixture of spatial and non-spatial auditory cues from both the dorsal and ventral pathways may be needed in order to create a coherent auditory-perceptual representation that guides behavior. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 4879

Categorization

• XREF: Relates to Gestalt grouping principles and the broader auditory-streaming literature (Bregman).