The auditory system prefers component sets that are adjacent harmonics

Evidence

By way of a coda to this discussion, it is interesting to note that these components 1040 Hz, 1240 Hz and 1440 Hz do, in fact, have a true f0 of 40 Hz of which they are the 26th, 31st and 36th harmonics, which would appear if the table were continued well over to the right. However, the audi­ tory system appears to find an f0 for which the components present are adjacent harmonics. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 874

Categorization

• QUESTION: Why would the auditory system favor adjacent harmonics over the true common fundamental? Could relate to temporal/place theory tradeoffs worth chasing.