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Updated: Apr 30, 2026

An Automated System for Sound Localization Testing in Hearing-Impaired Listeners
Published on: March 13, 2026
Effects of multiple congruent cues on concurrent sound segregation during passive and active listening: an
Zsuzsanna Kocsis1, István Winkler2, Orsolya Szalárdy3
1Institute of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary; Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary.
Abstract:
In two experiments, we assessed the effects of combining different cues of concurrent sound segregation on the object-related negativity (ORN) and the P400 event-related potential components. Participants were presented with sequences of complex tones, half of which contained some manipulation: one or two harmonic partials were mistuned, delayed, or presented from a different location than the rest. In separate conditions, one, two, or three of these manipulations were combined. Participants watched a silent movie (passive listening) or reported after each tone whether they perceived one or two concurrent sounds (active listening). ORN was found in almost all conditions except for location difference alone during passive listening. Combining several cues or manipulating more than one partial consistently led to sub-additive effects on the ORN amplitude. These results support the view that ORN reflects a combined, feature-unspecific assessment of the auditory system regarding the contribution of two sources to the incoming sound.
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