Two brain models differ on whether localization uses narrow or wide receptive fields

Evidence

A count-comparison model outputs a left or right coordinate, whereas each coincidence-detector neuron in a Jeffress-type model provides its own output. These neurons may be thought to be most sensitive to specific left or right directions. In other words, Jeffress-type models assume that receptive fields in the brain are narrowly tuned to specific horizontal directions, while the count-comparison principle bolsters the idea of two wide receptive fields spanning an entire hemifield, as illustrated in Figure 13. — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1685

Categorization

• DEFINE: Distills the core theoretical contrast between Jeffress-type coincidence detection and count-comparison models of binaural localization.