ABSTRACT
Pitch is primarily associated with the fundamental frequency of a sound. It is discussed in the following section. This section includes a description of phase-locking, a phenomenon that helps to explain the precision of pitch discrimination. Quality is primarily associated with the ear’s response to the shape of the spectrum and it is discussed in the section after Pitch. For the most part, the ear’s response to frequency is explained on the basis of the relationship between an acoustic frequency and a location along the basilar membrane. The frequency-resolving abilities of the ear (its ability to respond separately to signals of different frequency, presented simultaneously) have been established by masking experiments, which are described in the third section. The theory of auditory filters, described in the last section, is designed to explain the ear’s frequency-resolving abilities. This theory provides a powerful explanation of many experimental findings, not only those related to pitch and quality but also those relating to loudness (although applications to loudness are not covered here). It is therefore basic to an explanation of human hearing.
