Abstract
Segregating distinct sound sources is fundamental for auditory perception, as in the cocktail party problem. In a process called the build-up of stream segregation, distinct sound sources that are perceptually integrated initially can be segregated into separate streams after several seconds. Previous research concluded that abrupt changes in the incoming sounds during build-up-for example, a step change in location, loudness or timing-reset the percept to integrated. Following this reset, the multisecond build-up process begins again. Neurophysiological recordings in auditory cortex (A1) show fast (subsecond) adaptation, but unified mechanistic explanations for the bias toward integration, multisecond build-up and resets remain elusive. Combining psychoacoustics and modeling, we show that initial unadapted A1 responses bias integration, that the slowness of build-up arises naturally from competition downstream, and that recovery of adaptation can explain resets. An early bias toward integrated perceptual interpretations arising from primary cortical stages that encode low-level features and feed into competition downstream could also explain similar phenomena in vision. Further, we report a previously overlooked class of perturbations that promote segregation rather than integration. Our results challenge current understanding for perturbation effects on the emergence of sound source segregation, leading to a new hypothesis for differential processing downstream of A1. Transient perturbations can momentarily redirect A1 responses as input to downstream competition units that favor segregation.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 198 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue number | APR |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 20 2017 |
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Keywords
- Auditory perception
- Auditory stream segregation
- Computational neuroscience
- Dynamical systems
- Psychoacoustics
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)
Cite this
Stimulus pauses and perturbations differentially delay or promote the segregation of auditory objects : Psychoacoustics and modeling. / Rankin, James; Osborn Popp, Pamela J.; Rinzel, John.
In: Frontiers in Neuroscience, Vol. 11, No. APR, 198, 20.04.2017.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Stimulus pauses and perturbations differentially delay or promote the segregation of auditory objects
T2 - Psychoacoustics and modeling
AU - Rankin, James
AU - Osborn Popp, Pamela J.
AU - Rinzel, John
PY - 2017/4/20
Y1 - 2017/4/20
N2 - Segregating distinct sound sources is fundamental for auditory perception, as in the cocktail party problem. In a process called the build-up of stream segregation, distinct sound sources that are perceptually integrated initially can be segregated into separate streams after several seconds. Previous research concluded that abrupt changes in the incoming sounds during build-up-for example, a step change in location, loudness or timing-reset the percept to integrated. Following this reset, the multisecond build-up process begins again. Neurophysiological recordings in auditory cortex (A1) show fast (subsecond) adaptation, but unified mechanistic explanations for the bias toward integration, multisecond build-up and resets remain elusive. Combining psychoacoustics and modeling, we show that initial unadapted A1 responses bias integration, that the slowness of build-up arises naturally from competition downstream, and that recovery of adaptation can explain resets. An early bias toward integrated perceptual interpretations arising from primary cortical stages that encode low-level features and feed into competition downstream could also explain similar phenomena in vision. Further, we report a previously overlooked class of perturbations that promote segregation rather than integration. Our results challenge current understanding for perturbation effects on the emergence of sound source segregation, leading to a new hypothesis for differential processing downstream of A1. Transient perturbations can momentarily redirect A1 responses as input to downstream competition units that favor segregation.
AB - Segregating distinct sound sources is fundamental for auditory perception, as in the cocktail party problem. In a process called the build-up of stream segregation, distinct sound sources that are perceptually integrated initially can be segregated into separate streams after several seconds. Previous research concluded that abrupt changes in the incoming sounds during build-up-for example, a step change in location, loudness or timing-reset the percept to integrated. Following this reset, the multisecond build-up process begins again. Neurophysiological recordings in auditory cortex (A1) show fast (subsecond) adaptation, but unified mechanistic explanations for the bias toward integration, multisecond build-up and resets remain elusive. Combining psychoacoustics and modeling, we show that initial unadapted A1 responses bias integration, that the slowness of build-up arises naturally from competition downstream, and that recovery of adaptation can explain resets. An early bias toward integrated perceptual interpretations arising from primary cortical stages that encode low-level features and feed into competition downstream could also explain similar phenomena in vision. Further, we report a previously overlooked class of perturbations that promote segregation rather than integration. Our results challenge current understanding for perturbation effects on the emergence of sound source segregation, leading to a new hypothesis for differential processing downstream of A1. Transient perturbations can momentarily redirect A1 responses as input to downstream competition units that favor segregation.
KW - Auditory perception
KW - Auditory stream segregation
KW - Computational neuroscience
KW - Dynamical systems
KW - Psychoacoustics
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85019015634&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85019015634&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fnins.2017.00198
DO - 10.3389/fnins.2017.00198
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85019015634
VL - 11
JO - Frontiers in Neuroscience
JF - Frontiers in Neuroscience
SN - 1662-4548
IS - APR
M1 - 198
ER -