Temporal codes yield weak pitches compared to place codes

Evidence

However, data from Fastl and Stoll (1979) indicate that even though a temporal code is present in the auditory system, it does not yield strong pitches like the place code. Fastl and Stoll (1979) measured the pitch strength of a variety of different sounds and used a pure tone as the reference. All stimuli were designed to evoke a pitch matching a 250-Hz pure tone, which was assigned a pitch strength of 100. Their listeners rated the strength of the pitch of the test sounds in comparison to the pitch strength of that tone. … The pure tone had the strongest pitch of all, the complex tones all had pitch strength ratings greater than 60, and the noisy stimuli were assigned pitch strengths close to zero. The amplitude modulated noises were assigned very low pitch strengths, despite their fluctuating nature. Their results demonstrate that low-frequency pure tones are generally associated with the highest pitch strength and that the pitch strength decreases as the acoustics of the stimulus become more like a noise and less like a tone. Note that white noise was assigned a rating of 0, suggesting that it did not evoke a pitch. Together, there is evidence for a temporal code in pitch perception, but the temporal code likely yields very weak pitches. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1299

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces pitch strength as a measurable quantity anchored to a 250-Hz reference tone — a useful methodological model.