Graded cue information in dichotic pitch: effects on event-related potentials.
To determine whether electroencephalogram components elicited by dichotic pitch stimuli are all-or-none threshold-like responses or graded responses that depend on the saliency of the stimuli, we recorded electroencephalograms while participants listened to dichotic pitch stimuli constructed with different signal-to-background ratios. The object-related negativity and P400 components were largest when the dichotic pitch was most salient (high signal-to-background ratio), and decreased in amplitude with decreasing signal-to-background ratio. These results are similar to those reported for mistuned harmonics, thereby providing additional evidence that the object-related negativity and P400 components observed for these disparate stimulus types reflect similar processing. They also support the notion that the object-related negativity and P400 amplitudes are dependent on the level of relevant cue-based stimulus information.
Clapp
Wesley C
WC
Research Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. wesley.clapp@ucsf.edu
Johnson
Blake W
BW
Hautus
Michael J
MJ
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D004007:Dichotic Listening Tests; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010897:Pitch Discrimination / Q000502:physiology*