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A Method to Study Adaptation to Left-Right Reversed Audition
Published on: October 29, 2018
Adaptation in sound localization processing induced by interaural time difference in amplitude envelope at high
Takayuki Kawashima1, Takao Sato
1Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. takayuki.kawashima@thu.ac.jp
Plos One
|August 1, 2012
Summary
Interaural temporal differences (ITD) in high-frequency amplitude envelopes can induce the auditory localization aftereffect. This finding suggests ITD plays a role in the brain's adaptive plasticity for sound localization.
Area of Science:
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Psychoacoustics
- Sensory Perception
Background:
- The localization/lateralization aftereffect describes the perceived shift in sound location away from a preceding sound.
- This phenomenon is often linked to efficient neural coding of sound locations within the auditory system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether interaural temporal differences (ITD) in the amplitude envelope of high-frequency sounds (over 2 kHz) can induce the localization aftereffect.
- To determine the role of high-frequency ITD in auditory localization plasticity.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: Participants adapted to amplitude-modulated (AM) sounds at high frequencies with manipulated envelope ITD and adjusted a pointer to perceived test sound locations.
- Experiment 2: Confirmed findings using a forced-choice task and tested effects on low-frequency pure tones.
Main Results:
- Adaptation to high-frequency AM sounds with ±600 µs ITD induced a significant localization aftereffect.
- No significant aftereffect was observed with 0 µs ITD adaptation.
- Adaptation to high-frequency AM sounds did not alter the perceived location of low-frequency pure tones.
Conclusions:
- Interaural temporal differences in the envelope of high-frequency sounds are a key inducer of the localization aftereffect.
- This highlights the involvement of high-frequency ITD in the adaptive plasticity of auditory localization processing.
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