Sek and Moore [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 106, 351–359 (1999)] and Lyzenga et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 116, 491–501 (2004)] found that the just-noticeable frequency difference between two pure tones relatively close in time is smaller when these tones are smoothly connected by a frequency glide than when they are separated by a silent interval. This “glide effect” was interpreted as evidence that frequency glides can be detected by a specific auditory mechanism, not involved in the detection of discrete, time-delayed frequency changes. Lyzenga et al. argued in addition that the glide-detection mechanism provides little information on the direction of frequency changes near their detection threshold. The first experiment reported here confirms the existence of the glide effect, but also shows that it disappears when the glide is not connected smoothly to the neighboring steady tones. A second experiment demonstrates that the direction of a frequency glide can be perceptually identified as soon as the glide is detectable. These results, and some other observations, lead to a new interpretation of the glide effect, and to the conclusion that continuous frequency changes may be detected in the same manner as discrete frequency changes.
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February 2009
February 01 2009
Continuous versus discrete frequency changes: Different detection mechanisms?
Laurent Demany;
Laboratoire Mouvement, Adaptation, Cognition (UMR CNRS 5227),
Université de Bordeaux
, BP 63, 146 Rue Leo Saignat, F-33076 Bordeaux, France
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Robert P. Carlyon;
Robert P. Carlyon
MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit
, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, United Kingdom
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Catherine Semal
Catherine Semal
Laboratoire Mouvement, Adaptation, Cognition (UMR CNRS 5227),
Université de Bordeaux
, BP 63, 146 Rue Leo Saignat, F-33076 Bordeaux, France
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Electronic mail: [email protected]
J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125, 1082–1090 (2009)
Article history
Received:
May 23 2008
Accepted:
November 16 2008
Citation
Laurent Demany, Robert P. Carlyon, Catherine Semal; Continuous versus discrete frequency changes: Different detection mechanisms?. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 1 February 2009; 125 (2): 1082–1090. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3050271
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