Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The real world is full of noise and constantly overlapping sounds. However, our auditory system provides a solution to this, that is, the continuity illusion; when we hear a sound stream that is partially replaced by high-level noise, we can restore missing sound information and "fill in" the information as if it were smooth and continuous even against a background of noise. In the present study, we tested the preferences for familiar and novel melodies of 8-month-old infants after a 2-month memory retention interval following 1-week exposure to a specific melody. A preference for familiarity was seen not only when the melody was presented intact but also when it was periodically replaced by high-level noise, which elicits the continuity illusion in adults (Experiment 1). However, a trend toward preference for a novel melody was observed for stimuli periodically replaced by low-level noise that did not satisfy the ecological constraints for the elicitation of the illusion (Experiment 2). For the first time, this study showed that infants as young as 8 months of age are susceptible to the auditory continuity illusion. The study also revealed that the infants could recognize the melody they heard 2 months previously.
Source: Developmental Psychobiology
DOI: 10.1002/dev.22551
Authors: Ryoko Mugitani, Makio Kashino
Institutions: Japan Women's University, NTT (Japan)
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,580
OpenAlex ID: W4402996613