The Influence of the Psychophysical Assessment Paradigm on Pitch Discrimination for Adults (and a Pilot Sample of Children)

Pitch discrimination ability has been of research interest due to its potential relationship to language and literacy. However, assessment protocols for pitch discrimination have varied widely. Prior studies with both children and adults have produced conflicting performance findings across different pitch discrimination research paradigms, though they have consistently shown that discrimination accuracy is based on the psychophysical assessment method applied. In the present study, we examined pitch discrimination performance among convenience samples of 19 adult women and ten female children across six different adaptive psychophysical measurement conditions. We found pitch discrimination performance in both groups to be impacted by the measurement paradigm such that, while adults exhibited significantly better discrimination thresholds than did children, the pattern of performance across the six conditions was similar for both the adults and the children.

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A Neurophysiological Study of Musical Pitch Identification in Mandarin-Speaking Cochlear Implant Users

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2020/4576729 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Jieqing Cai ◽

Yimeng Liu ◽

Minyun Yao ◽

Muqing Xu ◽

Hongzheng Zhang

Keyword(s):

Cochlear Implant ◽

Music Perception ◽

Discrimination Performance ◽

Pitch Perception ◽

Pitch Discrimination ◽

Oddball Paradigm ◽

Discrimination Ability ◽

Musical Pitch ◽

Neurophysiological Studies ◽

English Speaking

Music perception in cochlear implant (CI) users is far from satisfactory, not only because of the technological limitations of current CI devices but also due to the neurophysiological alterations that generally accompany deafness. Early behavioral studies revealed that similar mechanisms underlie musical and lexical pitch perception in CI-based electric hearing. Although neurophysiological studies of the musical pitch perception of English-speaking CI users are actively ongoing, little such research has been conducted with Mandarin-speaking CI users; as Mandarin is a tonal language, these individuals require pitch information to understand speech. The aim of this work was to study the neurophysiological mechanisms accounting for the musical pitch identification abilities of Mandarin-speaking CI users and normal-hearing (NH) listeners. Behavioral and mismatch negativity (MMN) data were analyzed to examine musical pitch processing performance. Moreover, neurophysiological results from CI users with good and bad pitch discrimination performance (according to the just-noticeable differences (JND) and pitch-direction discrimination (PDD) tasks) were compared to identify cortical responses associated with musical pitch perception differences. The MMN experiment was conducted using a passive oddball paradigm, with musical tone C4 (262 Hz) presented as the standard and tones D4 (294 Hz), E4 (330 Hz), G#4 (415 Hz), and C5 (523 Hz) presented as deviants. CI users demonstrated worse musical pitch discrimination ability than did NH listeners, as reflected by larger JND and PDD thresholds for pitch identification, and significantly increased latencies and reduced amplitudes in MMN responses. Good CI performers had better MMN results than did bad performers. Consistent with findings for English-speaking CI users, the results of this work suggest that MMN is a viable marker of cortical pitch perception in Mandarin-speaking CI users.

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A Preliminary Exploration of Pitch Discrimination, Temporal Sequencing, and Prosodic Awareness Skills of Children Who Participate in Different School-Based Music Curricula

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11080982 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 982

Author(s):

Ashley G. Flagge ◽

Mary Ellen Neeley ◽

Tara M. Davis ◽

Victoria S. Henbest

Keyword(s):

Phonological Processing ◽

Auditory Processing ◽

Musical Training ◽

Positive Influence ◽

Pitch Discrimination ◽

Language And Literacy ◽

School Based ◽

Temporal Sequencing ◽

School Music ◽

Music Class

Musical training has been shown to have a positive influence on a variety of skills, including auditory-based tasks and nonmusical cognitive and executive functioning tasks; however, because previous investigations have yielded mixed results regarding the relationship between musical training and these skills, the purpose of this study was to examine and compare the auditory processing skills of children who receive focused, daily musical training with those with more limited, generalized musical training. Sixteen typically developing children (second–fourth grade) from two different schools receiving different music curricula were assessed on measures of pitch discrimination, temporal sequencing, and prosodic awareness. The results indicated significantly better scores in pitch discrimination abilities for the children receiving daily, focused musical training (School 1) compared to students attending music class only once per week, utilizing a more generalized elementary school music curriculum (School 2). The findings suggest that more in-depth and frequent musical training may be associated with better pitch discrimination abilities in children. This finding is important given that the ability to discriminate pitch has been linked to improved phonological processing skills, an important skill for developing spoken language and literacy. Future investigations are needed to determine whether the null findings for temporal sequencing and prosodic awareness can be replicated or may be different for various grades and tasks for measuring these abilities.

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The relationship between pitch discrimination and Romanian students’ spelling performance

Psychology of Language and Communication ◽

10.2478/plc-2013-0015 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 17 (3) ◽

pp. 233-240

Author(s):

Dacian Dorin Dolean

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Musical Instrument ◽

Pitch Discrimination ◽

Discrimination Ability ◽

Spelling Performance ◽

Foreign Language Acquisition ◽

Spelling Ability ◽

Performance Ability

Abstract Previous studies have shown that music can have a positive impact on phonological awareness and on foreign language acquisition. The present research investigates specifically the role of pitch discrimination ability in native and foreign language spelling performance. Two groups of elementary school children were selected based on their pitch discrimination abilities (high and low). Their spelling performance in their native and a foreign (fictional) language was assessed. The results indicate that pitch discrimination ability can be linked to spelling ability in both the native and a foreign language. They also suggest that studying a musical instrument might predict enhanced spelling performance ability

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Women Have Reduced Ability to Discriminate Body Odors During the Withdrawal Period of Oral Contraception

Chemosensory Perception ◽

10.1007/s12078-019-09273-9 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 123-131

Author(s):

Yaara Endevelt–Shapira ◽

Liron Pinchover ◽

Ofer Perl ◽

Ella Bar ◽

Ayelet Avin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oral Contraceptives ◽

Luteal Phase ◽

Discrimination Performance ◽

Oral Contraception ◽

Olfactory Discrimination ◽

Body Odor ◽

Withdrawal Period ◽

Discrimination Accuracy ◽

Late Luteal Phase ◽

Body Odors

Abstract Introduction Women’s olfactory perception varies across the menstrual cycle. The influence of oral contraceptives on this variability remains unclear. Methods To further estimate this, we assessed discrimination performance for both body odors and ordinary odorants in 36 women, 18 naturally ovulating, and 18 using oral contraceptives. Each participant was tested once a week over the course of a month, and data was then parsed into menstrual phases. Results In naturally ovulating women, at the transition from follicular to luteal phases, there was a decline of 19% (p = 0.003) in olfactory discrimination of body odors but not ordinary odorants. In turn, in women using oral contraceptives, only at a later time of the month, at a point corresponding to the late luteal phase and shift from post-ovulation to pre-menstruation, was there a decline of 20% (p = 0.002) in olfactory discrimination performance. Moreover, when we reorganized the data from women using oral contraceptives in order to separately assess the contraceptive withdrawal period (the few days off pills), we observed a 23% reduction (p = 0.01) in discrimination accuracy of body odors but not ordinary odorants during this time alone. Conclusions Women have reduced ability to discriminate body odors during the withdrawal period of oral contraception. Implications If women indeed consider men’s body odor in their mate selections, then the oral contraception withdrawal period may not be the best time to make such decisions.

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A model to assess age-related changes in two-point discrimination of plantar skin

Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association ◽

10.7547/87507315-89-8-383 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 89 (8) ◽

pp. 383-391 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

W Lynch ◽

J Mooney

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Statistical Analysis ◽

Linear Relationship ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Discrimination Accuracy ◽

Discrimination Ability ◽

Fixed Distance ◽

Age Related ◽

Older Subjects ◽

Age Related Changes

A device was constructed to assess two-point discrimination in the plantar skin of younger, middle-aged, and older adults. The device consisted of paired filaments, each delivering a tip force of 4.56 log units (equivalent to 3.63 g), at a fixed distance apart. Statistical analysis showed significant differences in two-point discrimination accuracy between these groups of subjects. Younger subjects showed greater accuracy of plantar two-point discrimination than either middle-aged or older subjects, with an apparent inverse linear relationship between subject age and plantar two-point discrimination ability. A model to assess age-related changes in two-point discrimination is presented.

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Normal development of pattern motion sensitivity in macaque monkeys

Visual Neuroscience ◽

10.1017/s0952523808080802 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 25 (5-6) ◽

pp. 675-684 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

CYNTHIA HALL-HARO ◽

LYNNE KIORPES

Keyword(s):

Motion Perception ◽

Discrimination Performance ◽

Macaca Nemestrina ◽

Global Motion ◽

Complex Motion ◽

Motion Sensitivity ◽

Macaque Monkeys ◽

Discrimination Ability ◽

Pattern Motion ◽

Neurophysiological Data

AbstractWe studied the development of sensitivity to complex motion using plaid patterns. We hypothesized, based on neurophysiological data showing a dearth of pattern direction–selective (PDS) cells in area medial temporal (MT) of infant macaques, that sensitivity to pattern motion would develop later than other forms of global motion sensitivity. We tested 10 macaque monkeys (Macaca nemestrina) ranging in age from 7 weeks to 109–160 weeks (adult). The monkeys discriminated horizontal from vertical pattern motion; sensitivity for one-dimensional (1D) direction discrimination and detection were tested as control tasks. The results show that pattern motion discrimination ability develops relatively late, between 10 and 18 weeks, while performance on the 1D control tasks was excellent at the earliest test ages. Plaid discrimination performance depends on both the speed and spatial scale of the underlying patterns. However, development is not limited by contrast sensitivity. These results support the idea that pattern motion perception depends on a different mechanism than other forms of global motion perception and are consistent with the idea that the representation of PDS neurons in MT may limit the development of complex motion perception.

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The Assessment of Pitch Discrimination Ability in Young Children

Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders ◽

10.1044/jshd.4202.279 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 42 (2) ◽

pp. 279-286 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Moya L. Andrews ◽

Shelley S. Madeira

Keyword(s):

Motor Response ◽

Age Groups ◽

Spatial Relations ◽

Pitch Discrimination ◽

Training Procedure ◽

Normal Children ◽

Discrimination Ability ◽

Simple Motor ◽

First Results ◽

Age Range

This study tested the hypothesis that some tasks used in assessing pitch discrimination ability may instead be assessing children’s ability to deal with relational language. Five tasks were given to 36 normal children who were equally divided into three age groups, six to six and one-half years, seven to seven and one-half years, and eight to eight and one-half years of age. Task 1 involved a training procedure to assess the children’s ability to hear the differences in the pitch of two tones, which were an octave apart. A simple motor response was required. Task 2 assessed the children’s ability to label these tones as high or low. Task 3 assessed their ability to compare two tones and label the second as higher or lower than the first. Task 4 examined their ability to label as high or low the position of a man on a ladder. Task 5 examined their ability to compare the positions of two men on two ladders and say whether the second man was higher or lower than the first. Results indicated that children who make pitch discriminations as demonstrated by nearly perfect scores on Task 1 often fail to demonstrate those discriminations on tasks requiring relational language. A comparison of Tasks 2 and 3 to Tasks 4 and 5 suggests that children in the age range studied are less proficient in applying high-low and higher-lower to pitch than to spatial relations.

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Effects of Physical Size and Complexity on Tactual Discrimination of Blind Children

Council review ◽

10.1177/001440297203900203 ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 39 (2) ◽

pp. 120-124 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Edward P. Berla

Keyword(s):

Discrimination Task ◽

Discrimination Performance ◽

Discrimination Accuracy ◽

Physical Size ◽

Pair Comparison ◽

Percent Correct ◽

Low Level ◽

Blind Children ◽

Task Time

The effects of physical size and complexity of metric figures on tactual discrimination performance was investigated with 36 blind children in grades 1 and 2. Metric figures from three levels of complexity (3 × 3, 4 × 4, and 5 × 5) were combined factorially with three physical sizes (1, 2, and 4 inches) in a same-different pair-comparison discrimination task. Increasing levels of physical size and complexity had no effect on discrimination accuracy, but increasing levels of either physical size or complexity significantly increased task time. Overall accuracy of performance was low (62 percent correct discriminations), and it appeared that unsystematic and inappropriate hand and finger motions were responsible for the low level of performance.

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