Work

Spectral completion of partially masked sounds

Year: 2008

Type: article

Abstract: Natural environments typically contain multiple sound sources. The sounds from these sources frequently overlap in time and often mask each other. Masking could potentially distort the representation of a sound's spectrum, altering its timbre and impairing object recognition. Here, we report that the auditory system partially corrects for the effects of masking in such situations, by using the audible, unmasked portions of an object's spectrum to fill in the inaudible portions. This spectral completion mechanism may help to achieve perceptual constancy and thus aid object recognition in complex auditory scenes.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0711291105

Authors: Josh H. McDermott, Andrew J. Oxenham

Institution: University of Minnesota

Language: English

Topic: Neuroscience and Music Perception

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Awards: Neural Correlates of Streaming of Complex Sounds, G675334870, G9000030390