1
|
Roberts B, Haywood NR. Asymmetric effects of sudden changes in timbre on auditory stream segregation. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 154:363-378. [PMID: 37462404 DOI: 10.1121/10.0020172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Two experiments explored the effects of abrupt transitions in timbral properties [amplitude modulation (AM), pure tones vs narrow-band noises, and attack/decay envelope] on streaming. Listeners reported continuously the number of streams heard during 18-s-long alternating low- and high-frequency (LHL-) sequences (frequency separation: 2-6 semitones) that underwent a coherent transition at 6 s or remained unchanged. In experiment 1, triplets comprised unmodulated pure tones or 100%-depth AM was created using narrowly spaced tone pairs (dyads: 30- or 50-Hz modulation). In experiment 2, triplets comprised narrow-band noises, dyads, or pure tones with quasi-trapezoidal envelopes (10/80/10 ms), fast attacks and slow decays (10/90 ms), or vice versa (90/10 ms). Abrupt transitions led to direction-dependent changes in stream segregation. Transitions from modulated to unmodulated (or slower-modulated) tones, from noise bands to pure tones, or from slow- to fast-attack tones typically caused substantial loss of segregation (resetting), whereas transitions in the opposite direction mostly caused less or no resetting. Furthermore, for the smallest frequency separation, transitions in the latter direction usually led to increased segregation (overshoot). Overall, the results are reminiscent of the perceptual asymmetries found in auditory search for targets with or without a salient additional feature (or greater activation of that feature).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian Roberts
- School of Psychology, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas R Haywood
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Schneider BA, Rabaglia C, Avivi-Reich M, Krieger D, Arnott SR, Alain C. Age-Related Differences in Early Cortical Representations of Target Speech Masked by Either Steady-State Noise or Competing Speech. Front Psychol 2022; 13:935475. [PMID: 35992450 PMCID: PMC9389464 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.935475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Word in noise identification is facilitated by acoustic differences between target and competing sounds and temporal separation between the onset of the masker and that of the target. Younger and older adults are able to take advantage of onset delay when the masker is dissimilar (Noise) to the target word, but only younger adults are able to do so when the masker is similar (Babble). We examined the neural underpinning of this age difference using cortical evoked responses to words masked by either Babble or Noise when the masker preceded the target word by 100 or 600 ms in younger and older adults, after adjusting the signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) to equate behavioural performance across age groups and conditions. For the 100 ms onset delay, the word in noise elicited an acoustic change complex (ACC) response that was comparable in younger and older adults. For the 600 ms onset delay, the ACC was modulated by both masker type and age. In older adults, the ACC to a word in babble was not affected by the increase in onset delay whereas younger adults showed a benefit from longer delays. Hence, the age difference in sensitivity to temporal delay is indexed by early activity in the auditory cortex. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that an increase in onset delay improves stream segregation in younger adults in both noise and babble, but only in noise for older adults and that this change in stream segregation is evident in early cortical processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bruce A. Schneider
- Department of Psychology, Human Communication Laboratory, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada
- *Correspondence: Bruce A. Schneider,
| | - Cristina Rabaglia
- Department of Psychology, Human Communication Laboratory, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada
| | - Meital Avivi-Reich
- Department of Psychology, Human Communication Laboratory, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada
- Department of Communication Arts, Sciences, and Disorders, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, United States
| | - Dena Krieger
- Department of Psychology, Human Communication Laboratory, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada
| | | | - Claude Alain
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, St. George Campus, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lesicko AM, Geffen MN. Diverse functions of the auditory cortico-collicular pathway. Hear Res 2022; 425:108488. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2022.108488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
|