Localization of paired sound sources in cats: effects of variable arrival times

Six adult cats were trained to perform sound-localization tasks involving either single or paired sound sources. The behavioral response consisted of the cat releasing the left of two foot pedals when sound was perceived to the left of midline, and to release the right pedal, when the sound occurred on the right. In sessions with paired sounds, the effects of varying the time interval between the arrival of clicks from the left and right speakers were examined. The intervals used were 0.0, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 5.0, 7.0, and 9.0 ms. For the group as a whole, the optimal delay interval for most accurate localization fell within the range from 0.5 to 2.0 ms.