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On the “Residue” and Auditory Pitch Perception

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Part of the book series: Handbook of Sensory Physiology ((1534,volume 5 / 3))

Abstract

The present chapter on the residue phenomenon is set up in an unorthodox way. Instead of giving a cursory review it presents the historical development in great detail. It is more a textbook on the psychophysics of pitch than a review of recent research. There are several reasons for this, as listed below:

  1. a)

    Very few scientists, even those working on pitch perception, are aware of all the intricacies involved.

  2. b)

    Textbooks on psychophysics or physiology of hearing in general are either outdated — the development has been very fast the last five years — or not authorative on this subject.

  3. c)

    The older literature on the residue is inaccessible as a consequence, an overview is difficult to obtain.

  4. d)

    The publications include many subtleties in psychophysical experiments or advanced mathematical details of signal generation which make them difficult to understand for physiologists, etc.

  5. e)

    There exist many misconceptions about the relevance of certain physiological experiments for pitch perception (and vice versa).

  6. f)

    The problem of the residue is of prime importance for speech as well as for music, but a comprehensive account of the subject does not exist.

  7. g)

    In some instances psychophysical or physiological studies are reported that seem to indicate that the “residue” is about to be discovered again. Such situations may be prevented by the existence of a general text.

To J. F. Schotjten who “placed” his mark on a “period”.

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de Boer, E. (1976). On the “Residue” and Auditory Pitch Perception. In: Keidel, W.D., Neff, W.D. (eds) Auditory System. Handbook of Sensory Physiology, vol 5 / 3. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-66082-5_13

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