Re: Bates's question about claps (Alexandra Hettergott )

Subject: Re: Bates's question about claps
From:    Alexandra Hettergott  <a.hettergott(at)wanadoo.fr>
Date:    Tue, 15 May 2001 22:23:14 +0200

Al Bregman wrote :
>the group consisting of the clapping of a [multiple] single person[s]
>[... where, on the psychological level] Its representation was simply
>not mentally created in the latter case, because the acoustic
>discontinuities needed to define it were not detectable.
Imho, why not simply assume a (grouped) mental representation of the
(tonal) phenomenon of a clapping crowd as it corresponds to how the
situation might be perceived ...? (context-depending and + / - visual
support). The fact that differentiability will be inversely related to
the number of clappers shows that 'absolute' (source) distinction might
yet be of less (evolutionary) advantage from a certain level of
(homogeneous) stimulus (phase) density, thus evoking (the (perceived)
phenomenon of) a 'group response' however being likewise
condition-related as the (mental) response to any singular, clearly
distinguishable (acoustic) stimulus ...
:ah