Training of pitch contour perception: Influence of pitch processing abilities and multisensory interactions

Pitch contour processing is critical in music and speech processing, and is likely to be hampered in peripheral and central auditory disorders. Pitch processing is typically altered in congenital amusia, a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits of music perception and production, which are related to altered pitch processing. In this study, we examined the effects of multisensory (audio-visual, AV) versus unisensory (auditory-only, A) pitch contour training on the ability to discriminate pitch direction changes in individuals with amusia and their matched control participants. After two consecutive sessions of training (A and AV in a counterbalanced order), improvement in accuracy and reaction times (RTs) was found in both participant groups, with the largest RT improvements for the participants with worst RTs at study onset. When evaluating separately the effect of each training type (A or AV) on performance, amusic participants exhibited improvement in both accuracy and reaction times for large pitch changes after the AV training. In control participants, AV training led to faster reaction times for the small and large pitch changes. AV training gains were numerically larger than A training gains, but a direct comparison provided weak evidence for a difference in these training gains. Overall, both amusic and control participants showed improved performance after the training (whether A or AV), indicating that pitch contour processing can be trained even after a single session, with some limited evidence for more efficient training in a multisensory context. These findings offer new perspectives for long-term audio-visual pitch training in congenital amusia and for populations with other types of pitch perception deficits.