Foundations of Modern Auditory Theory

Many of the phenomena reviewed in this chapter are not new. Their basis -indeed, in some cases, their existence -has been debated and has stimulated research for well over 200 years. Often, there is a tendency to discount older research simply because of its age. For example, older work in hearing is discounted for its imprecision of stimulus specification. However, in the area of pitch perception, the limitations of older equipment may not be serious and become less so when only relative pitch or changes in pitch are considered. In this light, it is instructive to review some older data and their interpretation.