The cone of confusion makes identical ITDs map to many indistinguishable locations
Evidence
Again assuming a spherical, pinnae-less head, there would be a 3D conical surface extending out of each ear that represents the same ITD on the surface (Mills, 1972). Figure 7–4 illustrates this surface, which is called the cone of confusion, and it should be thought of as extending infinitely into space. The ITD is a relative feature of sound (i.e., it is a difference, not an absolute), and sounds originating from a variety of locations could be perceived as being in the same location. The location of any sound on the cone of confusion could be confused with all other sound locations on that surface. Note that within the cone of confusion, listeners cannot determine whether sounds are above or below them or whether they are in the front or in the back. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1472
Categorization
Category: Definitional Content
- DEFINE: Defines the cone of confusion and its perceptual consequences.
- XREF: Connects to head-related transfer functions and binaural rendering decisions in audio engineering.
Related
- All sound locations sharing one ITD form an infinite cone of confusion (similarity 0.93)
- Identical ITDs form a 3D cone producing ambiguous source location. (similarity 0.93)
- A dedicated cone-of-confusion coordinate system describes hard-to-discriminate sound directions. (similarity 0.86)
- Head symmetry creates a cone of directions where sound localization is ambiguous (similarity 0.85)
- Head movements and pinna shape resolve ambiguous sound localization (similarity 0.84)
- Head movement and pinna shape resolve cone-of-confusion ambiguities (similarity 0.84)
- The cone of confusion prevents up-down and front-back sound discrimination (similarity 0.83)
- Head movements resolve front-back ambiguity by creating direction-specific binaural cue changes (similarity 0.82)
- Cone of confusion makes time and level cues ambiguous for elevation (similarity 0.81)
- Interaural time delays alone cannot fully determine sound source direction (similarity 0.80)
Broader Connections
- Head symmetry creates a cone of directions where sound localization is ambiguous
#corroborates(0.90) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1397 - Head movement and pinna shape resolve cone-of-confusion ambiguities
#responds-to(0.85) — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1474 - Combining stereo cues produces spurious cues that confuse localization
#expands(0.80) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 753