Pitch discrimination learning:specificity for pitch and harmonic resolvability, and electrophysiological correlates

Carcagno, Samuele and Plack, Christopher J. (2011) Pitch discrimination learning:specificity for pitch and harmonic resolvability, and electrophysiological correlates. Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, 12 (4). pp. 503-517. ISSN 1525-3961

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Multiple-hour training on a pitch discrimination task dramatically decreases the threshold for detecting a pitch difference between two harmonic complexes. Here, we investigated the specificity of this perceptual learning with respect to the pitch and the resolvability of the trained harmonic complex, as well as its cortical electrophysiological correlates. We trained 24 participants for 12 h on a pitch discrimination task using one of four different harmonic complexes. The complexes differed in pitch and/or spectral resolvability of their components by the cochlea, but were filtered into the same spectral region. Cortical-evoked potentials and a behavioral measure of pitch discrimination were assessed before and after training for all the four complexes. The change in these measures was compared to that of two control groups: one trained on a level discrimination task and one without any training. The behavioral results showed that learning was partly specific to both pitch and resolvability. Training with a resolved-harmonic complex improved pitch discrimination for resolved complexes more than training with an unresolved complex. However, we did not find evidence that training with an unresolved complex leads to specific learning for unresolved complexes. Training affected the P2 component of the cortical-evoked potentials, as well as a later component (250-400 ms). No significant changes were found on the mismatch negativity (MMN) component, although a separate experiment showed that this measure was sensitive to pitch changes equivalent to the pitch discriminability changes induced by training. This result suggests that pitch discrimination training affects processes not measured by the MMN, for example, processes higher in level or parallel to those involved in MMN generation.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2800/2809
Subjects:
?? AUDITORY TRAININGPITCH LEARNINGP2MMNEVOKED POTENTIALSFUNDAMENTAL-FREQUENCY DISCRIMINATIONUNRESOLVED HARMONICSAUDITORY-CORTEXEVOKED-RESPONSESCOMPLEX TONESMUSICIANSIDENTIFICATIONNONMUSICIANSPERCEPTIONMECHANISMSOTORHINOLARYNGOLOGYSENSORY SYSTEMS ??
ID Code:
66121
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
20 Aug 2013 10:26
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
19 Sep 2023 01:08