A level of stimulus representation model for auditory detection and attention

A model is offered here to address an asymmetry of cueing in signal detection [Hafter et al. (1992)] where the effect of frequency uncertainty on the detection of a randomly chosen tone was ameliorated by cueing with a sequence of its harmonics, but detection of a randomly chosen sequence of harmonics was not improved by cueing with their fundamental. The model proposes that signal detection can be based on various levels of neural representation that, for the case at hand, refer to levels organized either by frequency or by complex pitch. Experiments offered to test the model used three-tone complexes for both cues and signals. These stimuli consisted of either three randomly chosen frequencies or three randomly chosen harmonics (from the set 2 f1 to 7 f1) of a randomly chosen fundamental. Support for the idea of cueing and detection at different levels of representation was found in higher performance with uncued detection of harmonic complexes relative to that found with complexes of unrelated tones and by successful cueing of each type of information with cues created to remove uncertainty about the relevant information. A final comparison suggests independence of performance (presumably of the limiting noise) at each of the putative levels of representation.