Theoretical and experimental analysis of a central optimal processor for pitch of multicomponent inharmonic tones

This paper describes some experiments on the pitch produced by multicomponent tones. Stimuli used were the sum of a pure tone at frequency f = 1 kHz and of the first six successive subharmonics at frequencies psi i = f/i (i = 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) or, in separate experiments, the sum of six (i = 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), five (i = 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) or four (i = 4, 5, 6, 7) subharmonics, respectively. Pitch data produced by these stimuli have been compared with the predictions of the optimum processor theory developed by Goldstein and coworkers (Goldstein, J.L. (1973): J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 54, 1496-1516; Goldstein, J.L. et al. (1978): J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 63, 486-497; Gerson, A. and Goldstein, J.L. (1978): J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 63, 498-510). Model predictions are shown to deviate significantly from the experimental results. By assuming the existence of an additional transformation to be included into the original mathematical model, without any other modification, predictions are in complete agreement with pitch data.