Temporal integration models divide on time constant assumptions of hundreds versus single-digit milliseconds.

Evidence

Two major hypotheses have been proposed that explain temporal integration, and they differ primarily in their assumptions about the time frame over which integration occurs (i.e., the time constant). The first class of models assumes a long time constant (on the order of hundreds of milliseconds). These models were developed in an attempt to explain a critical duration between 200 and 300 ms. However, a second class of models assumes a short time constant (on the order of 5 or 10 milliseconds). Both models can predict that performance improves with increasing duration and that beyond a certain duration, improvements are so small as to be negligible. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1058

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the two competing classes of temporal integration models in terms of their time constants, which is central to the reader’s goal of cataloguing hearing models.
• XREF: Connects to the reader’s interest in hearing-perception models and theories; the long vs short time constant split parallels similar debates about integration windows in vision and attention research.