Subject: perceptual segregation of sound From: Mark Every <m.every@xxxxxxxx> Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 19:08:39 +0100Dear all, I have a question of general interest about auditory scene analysis, and would be grateful for any views on the subject. Humans have the remarkable ability to interpret multiple events and perceive distinct sources within a complex sound environment. The concept of perceptual streams of information is explained in (Bregman A.S., Auditory Scene Analysis: The Perceptual Organization of Sound, MIT Press, 1990). My question is: are we really capable of perceptually segregating multiple sources concurrently, or are we just focusing our attention on one source, and then shifting it very quickly to another source? Evolutionarily speaking, I can see it would be advantageous if we were being chased by two lions rather than one, to be able to concentrate on both simultaneously. However, I also have the impression that if lion 1 roars, we will forget about lion 2 for a moment, and vice versa. If both roar at the same time, are we now listening to two separate lions or just a general sound of lions roaring? In any case, run for it... Best, Mark -- Mark Every <m.every@xxxxxxxx> CVSSP, SEPS, University of Surrey