Discrimination of second-format-like frequency transitions.
Discrimination of two types of simulated single-second-format frequency transitions was studied, transitions where members of a stimulus set shared the same onset frequency and transitions where stimuli of a set shared the same offset frequency. Experiment 1 employed an adaptive procedure to measure just-noticeable differences for transitions that increased in frequency. Experiment 2 obtained complete psychometric functions, based on a three-interval, forced-choice procedure, for transitions that either increased or decreased in frequency. In both experiments, better discrimination occurred for longer stimuli, measured in hertz/millisecond, and for transitions that shared the same onset frequency. There were no differences, in Experiment 2, between discrimination of rising and falling transitions. Results are considered from several theoretical perspectives.
Elliott
L L
LL
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208-3550.
Hammer
M A
MA
Carrell
T
T
D000328:Adult; D004056:Differential Threshold; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010700:Phonetics; D010897:Pitch Discrimination; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D013067:Speech Perception