Yuki Kakita
Takahasi Hamada
Dept. of System Design Eng., Kanazawa Inst. of Technol., 7-1, Ohgigaoka, Nonoichi-machi, Kanazawa-Minami 921, Japan
Auditory backward recognition masking (ABRM) refers to the interference of a second sound on recognition of another sound presented earlier in time. The influence of musical meaning on recognition of the first sound was investigated using the stimuli where the pitch relationship between the first and second sounds composed a triad. Four complex tones consisting of three tones differing in pitch were presented as stimuli. The frequency relationship of two complex tones composed a triad. The others did not compose a triad. One of the three tones of the complex tones was employed as a first sound. The others were employed as a second sound. The task was to label the stimuli as one of the four complex tones. The effect of the differences in the stimuli was evaluated using the percentage of correct responses as a function of ISI. Backward recognition masking was observed with the two sounds that did not compose a triad. The performance was better when the two sounds composed a triad rather than when they did not compose a triad. The results indicated that interference of a second sound on recognition of a first sound is reduced when there is musical meaning in the pitch relationship between the first and second tones.