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The spatial representation of loudness in a timbre discrimination task
Sarah Koch1, Torsten Schubert1, Sven Blankenberger1
1Department of Psychology, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany.
I-Perception
|November 29, 2023
Summary
Participants responded faster to loud tones with top keys and soft tones with bottom keys, demonstrating the Spatial-Musical Association of Response Codes (SMARC) effect. This effect persisted even when loudness was task-irrelevant, suggesting a continuous spatial representation of loudness.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Auditory Perception
- Cross-modal correspondences
Background:
- The Spatial-Musical Association of Response Codes (SMARC) effect links auditory loudness to spatial responses.
- Existing theories, spatial representation vs. polarity correspondence, make differing predictions for task-irrelevant loudness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the SMARC effect for loudness persists in a timbre discrimination task.
- To differentiate between spatial representation and polarity correspondence theories.
Main Methods:
- Thirty-six participants performed a timbre discrimination task using vertically arranged response keys.
- Tones varied in loudness across six levels, while loudness was task-irrelevant.
Main Results:
- The SMARC effect for loudness was present in the timbre discrimination task.
- Response differences linearly correlated with loudness levels, supporting a continuous spatial representation.
Conclusions:
- Loudness is continuously represented in space, even when task-irrelevant.
- Findings support the spatial representation theory over the polarity correspondence principle for the SMARC effect.
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