Subject: Re: CASA problems and solutions From: Al Bregman <bregman(at)HEBB.PSYCH.MCGILL.CA> Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2001 16:06:15 -0500Dear Jim and List, Thanks for pointing out the important role of familiarity. I omitted any mention of the listener's knowledge of the source not because it isn't important, but because I have no idea how the auditory system implements this knowledge, or what the interesting scientific questions are. We believe that familiar sounds are able to be tracked more easily through mixtures, but what is the next scientific question? I suppose one such question would be whether the recognition processes operate only on already-segregated signals or whether the bottom-up and top-down processes interact. Research in speech perception suggests the latter answer. I don't believe there has been a lot of thinking about the laws that might describe how top-down processes work in the recognition of sounds in mixtures. I would welcome any ideas that might occur to anybody on the list. Al ------------------------------------------------------------ Albert S. Bregman, Emeritus Professor Psychology Dept., McGill University 1205 Docteur Penfield Avenue Montreal, QC, CANADA H3A 1B1 Office: Tel: +1 (514) 398-6103 Fax:+1 (514) 398-4986 Home: Fax & phone: +1 (514) 484-2592 Lab web page: www.psych.mcgill.ca/labs/auditory/laboratory.html ------------------------------------------------------------ ----- Original Message ----- From: James W. Beauchamp <j-beauch(at)UX1.CSO.UIUC.EDU> To: <AUDITORY(at)LISTS.MCGILL.CA> Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2001 12:34 PM ... ... > What about knowledge of the source? For example, if I hear out the > oboe in an orchestra, doesn't it help that I know what an oboe > sounds like? Isn't this a learned phenomenon?