Subject: Re: Pitch learning From: Stewart Hulse <hulse@xxxxxxxx> Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 11:54:44 -0500 List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>Dear All, Thank you, Martin. I am no longer active in research, being fully retired, and sometimes forget my own data! Stew Hulse -----Original Message----- From: AUDITORY - Research in Auditory Perception [mailto:AUDITORY@xxxxxxxx On Behalf Of Martin Braun Sent: Friday, February 23, 2007 6:43 PM To: AUDITORY@xxxxxxxx Subject: Re: Pitch learning Dear Annabel, Stew, and others, Annabel Cohen wrote: "The evidence in this paper [ http://web.telia.com/~u57011259/Wright.htm ] for octave generalization for tonal melodies by rhesus monkeys is impressive, however, whether this reflects something special about sensitivity to the octave (chroma) rather than sensitivity to the overtone series or periodicity is still not clear from this study." Sorry, it IS clear from this study. The authors reported that generalization over the distance of two octaves is even stronger than that over the distance of one octave. This finding definitely rules out the possibility that the monkeys generalized according to similarities in the sound spectrum (harmonics). The only remaining possibility is that the monkeys, the same as humans, have an octave circular pitch processing, which provides the basis for a chroma percept. Martin --------------------------------------------------------------------- Martin Braun Neuroscience of Music S-671 95 Klässbol Sweden web site: http://w1.570.telia.com/~u57011259/index.htm