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A perceptual architecture for sound lateralization in man
1Hearing Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada. dennis.phillips@dal.ca
Hearing Research
|November 6, 2007
Summary
Sound lateralization in humans relies on two neural channels, each broadly tuned to one acoustic hemifield. This finding, based on psychophysical studies, favors a specific model of auditory perception over others.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Perception
- Psychoacoustics
Background:
- Two neurophysiological models explain sound lateralization: a population of narrowly tuned neurons or two broadly tuned hemifield channels.
- Existing models, derived from animal studies, show limitations in generalizability to human auditory processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent psychophysical studies investigating sound lateralization mechanisms in humans.
- To differentiate between competing neurophysiological models of sound lateralization using selective adaptation paradigms.
Main Methods:
- Utilized selective adaptation paradigms in psychophysical experiments with normal human listeners.
- Investigated sound lateralization based on interaural disparities across different frequency ranges.
- Examined the influence of recent stimulus history on auditory perception of sound source location.
Main Results:
- Provided evidence for the frequency-specificity of interaural disparity coding in human sound lateralization.
- Demonstrated that sound lateralization mechanisms are sensitive to recent stimulus history.
- Data favored a model of two broadly tuned, hemifield-specific azimuthal channels over a narrowly tuned population model.
Conclusions:
- Human sound lateralization is best explained by a perceptual architecture involving two broadly tuned azimuthal channels, each sensitive to a specific acoustic hemifield.
- This hemifield-tuned channel model offers a more robust explanation for human sound localization than models based on narrowly tuned neuronal populations.
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