Abstract
The probe-signal method (Greenberg & Larkin, 1968) was used to determine the percentage of trials in which unpracticed subjects detected (two-interval, forced-choice) a soft, expected sound as compared with an unexpected sound. Pure tones at or near an expected frequency were detected in about 90% of the trials. Tones more than one-half critical band away were detected near chance (50%). Complex sounds (a band of noise or a multitone complex) were detected better if they were inside the same critical band as the expected signal than if they were outside the band. A signal that differed spectrally from the expected sound was not detected even though it had the same low pitch, based on a common fundamental frequency. The results may mean that under some conditions focused attention alters sensitivity in the auditory system.
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This research was partially supported by NIH Grant R01NS07270. A. Reeves was supported by AFOSR 84-NL-044.
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Scharf, B., Quigley, S., Aoki, C. et al. Focused auditory attention and frequency selectivity. Perception & Psychophysics 42, 215–223 (1987). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03203073
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03203073