Frequency representation

The ability to use the spectrum or the fine structure of sound to detect,

discriminate, or identify sound.

Frequency representation

1. Development of frequency discrimination and frequency resolution

2. Development of mechanisms involved in frequency representation

Tasks involving frequency representation Frequency discrimination Masking Pitch and timbre perception Speech perception and much, much more.

Pure-tone frequency discrimination

Time

Fre

quen

cy

Which one was higher, 1 or 2?

Time

Fre

quen

cyDid you hear something change?

How do you get a baby to tell you that she heard something change?

Habituation-based procedures One stimulus or type of stimulus is presented to

the infant repeatedly. The infant responds to the stimulus in some way,

but on repeated presentations the response decreases (“habituates”).

Once habituation has occurred, the stimulus is changed.

If the infant’s response increases (“recovers”) then discrimination has occurred; if not, we don’t know anything.

Variations on habituation-based procedure Habituation (heart rate deceleration) High amplitude sucking Visual fixation

High amplitude sucking

Advantages and disadvantages of habituation-based procedures. Based on naturally

occurring infant responses

Relatively easy to get data from an infant

Can’t test adults as comparison

Can’t measure thresholds

Interpretation of negative result.

Depends on infant wanting to hear the sound you are studying.

Conditioned response procedures The stimulus is a sound or a change in an

ongoing sound, but it serves as a signal to the infant that he should respond.

If the infant responds when he hears this “signal”, he gets to see something interesting (e.g., a mechanical toy or video comes on)

Variations on conditioned-response procedures Conditioned head-turn procedures

Visual Reinforcement procedures 2 spatial alternative procedures

Observer-based procedures

Observer-based methods

Advantages and disadvantages of conditioned-response methods Can test adults as

comparison Can measure

thresholds If the baby likes the

reinforcer, it doesn’t matter if he likes the sound

May need to train response in some infants (head turns)

May exclude infants who don’t meet control conditions.

Back to frequency representation

Pure-tone frequency discrimination

Time

Fre

quen

cyWhich one was higher, 1 or 2?

Time

Fre

quen

cy

Did you hear something change?

INFANTS CHILDREN (MOSTLY)ADULTS

Early studies of infant frequency discrimination

Wormith, S.J., D. Pankhurst, and A.R. Moffitt, Frequency discrimination by young infants. Child Dev, 1975. 46: p. 272-275

• 1-month-old infants• High amplitude sucking• 200 v. 500 Hz

Frequency discrimination at 3-12 months

Olsho, L.W., E.G. Koch, and C.F. Halpin, Level and age effects in infant frequency discrimination. J Acoust Soc Am, 1987. 82: p. 454-464.

•3, 6, 12 months, adults•Observer based method•500, 1000, 4000 Hz jnd• adaptive thresholds

Frequency discrimination in older children

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Low frequency

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Did those sound the same or different?

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High FrequencyLow frequency

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Ñ Hill et al 2005

Wier et al. 1977

Low frequency High frequency

Development of frequency discrimination

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Possible explanations for differences in development of low and high frequency discrimination

It takes longer to learn low frequency discrimination and infants/kids need even more practice than adults.

The codes for low and high frequencies develop differently

Development of frequency resolution (place code) Thresholds in noise Psychophysical tuning curves Critical bandwidth Auditory filter width

The critical band concept

Development of thresholds in noise

Both frequency resolution and intensity resolution affect thresholds in noise

normal Bad intensity resolution

Bad frequency resolution

Critical bandwidth

Development of the critical bandwidth

Another measure of frequency resolution: Psychophysical tuning curve

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Frequency (Hz)800 1000

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Frequency (Hz)1000 1200

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Infant psychophysical tuning curves

Auditory filter widths

Children’s auditory filter width

Hall and Grose to the rescue…

Hall and Grose to the rescue…

Conclusions so far Both high frequency discrimination and

high frequency resolution are immature in listeners younger than 6 months of age, and mature in listeners older than 6 months.

Low frequency discrimination doesn’t mature until childhood, but low frequency resolution is mature in 3 month olds.

Why is low-frequency discrimination immature? Temporal code could be immature

No psychophysical evidence for or against

Temporal code could be mature, but infants and children may take awhile to learn to use this information.

Development of frequency representation Frequency resolution, the accuracy of the

place code for frequency, is immature at birth.

Frequency resolution is adultlike by 6 months of age.

The development of the temporal code for frequency is less well understood.