Transition bandwidths for stimuli with sparse spectral densities (L)

Transition bandwidths, observed as peaks in threshold functions in band-widening discrimination experiments, exhibit a number of notable features, such as a tenfold range of individual differences. The transition from a discrimination process based on temporal features to a process akin to profile analysis occurs automatically when the stimulus becomes wide enough to support across channel comparisons. A challenging finding is that transition bandwidths are unaffected by spectral density, tolerating frequency differences between spectral components as great as 400 Hz. Theoretical considerations based on this fact favor distinguishing between spectral and temporal processes as early as the initial stage of peripheral filtering.