Abstract
Cochlear implant (CI) users cannot use auditory displays like notifications or ringtones since
CI processing lacks fine harmonic resolution necessary for pitch perception. However, since
CI performance is same as normal listeners in tempo and rhythm discrimination tasks, we
designed an auditory display for use in CIs using a temporal auditory image, consisting of a
series of variably pulsating tones using the phenomenon of beating between two
interfering tones. Synthesis used a noise-excited envelope vocoder to simulate CI
processing. Normal hearing volunteers performed a magnitude estimation task after
training to retain the temporal variation of the auditory image across a sliding visual scale
with reasonable accuracy (regression slope = 0.80, SE =0.039). During training and recall,
participants reported vocalizing the rate of beating or alluding to the noise vocoded sounds
using auditory imagery from past experience. For instance, participants imagined
increasing rates of pulsing from 32 to 100 Bpm as wheezing, slow jogging and panting, 200
- 350 Bpm as the sound of a salt shaker, or a hacksaw blade cutting wood, and higher rates
until 600 Bpm to a helicopter or locomotive engine. These observations confirm the ability
of motored subvocal speech sound production and covert verbal labeling of environmental
stimuli, as a means to link sequences that can assist in the storage of rapidly alternating
acoustic signals(Schulze et al., 2012). During magnitude estimation, participants slightly
underestimated the slider position at higher rates of audible pulsing and found it harder to
discriminate at rates of about 450 BPM and upwards. This points to possible imprecision in
the sensori-motor synchronization provided by working memory, that enables one to
update temporal intervals governing musical pulse sequences (Baddeley and Hitch, 1974).
The results support growing evidence that auditory imagery is fortified by the maintenance
of sensory information in working memory.
CI processing lacks fine harmonic resolution necessary for pitch perception. However, since
CI performance is same as normal listeners in tempo and rhythm discrimination tasks, we
designed an auditory display for use in CIs using a temporal auditory image, consisting of a
series of variably pulsating tones using the phenomenon of beating between two
interfering tones. Synthesis used a noise-excited envelope vocoder to simulate CI
processing. Normal hearing volunteers performed a magnitude estimation task after
training to retain the temporal variation of the auditory image across a sliding visual scale
with reasonable accuracy (regression slope = 0.80, SE =0.039). During training and recall,
participants reported vocalizing the rate of beating or alluding to the noise vocoded sounds
using auditory imagery from past experience. For instance, participants imagined
increasing rates of pulsing from 32 to 100 Bpm as wheezing, slow jogging and panting, 200
- 350 Bpm as the sound of a salt shaker, or a hacksaw blade cutting wood, and higher rates
until 600 Bpm to a helicopter or locomotive engine. These observations confirm the ability
of motored subvocal speech sound production and covert verbal labeling of environmental
stimuli, as a means to link sequences that can assist in the storage of rapidly alternating
acoustic signals(Schulze et al., 2012). During magnitude estimation, participants slightly
underestimated the slider position at higher rates of audible pulsing and found it harder to
discriminate at rates of about 450 BPM and upwards. This points to possible imprecision in
the sensori-motor synchronization provided by working memory, that enables one to
update temporal intervals governing musical pulse sequences (Baddeley and Hitch, 1974).
The results support growing evidence that auditory imagery is fortified by the maintenance
of sensory information in working memory.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| State | Published - 2022 |
| Event | 21st Annual Auditory Perception, Cognition, & Action Meeting - Sheraton Boston Hotel, Boston, United States Duration: Nov 17 2022 → … https://apcsociety.org/apcam/2022/APCAM-2022-Program.pdf |
Conference
| Conference | 21st Annual Auditory Perception, Cognition, & Action Meeting |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | APCAM |
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | Boston |
| Period | 11/17/22 → … |
| Internet address |