Auditory Temporal Discrimination from the Perspective of Gap

Gap detection refers to the perceptual ability to detect brief silences in auditory stimuli. This study investigates temporal discrimination in relation to the perception and processing of gaps. Experiments were conducted to measure gap discrimination thresholds using markers of different frequencies. The results reveal that the threshold for gap discrimination varies depending on the frequency separation between the leading and trailing markers. Notably, when the markers have identical frequencies, the threshold increases monotonically up to the study limit of 100 ms, with a slope that deviates from Weber’s law. To better comprehend these findings, a previously proposed neural model of gap detection was expanded to account for discrimination. This model shows good compatibility with the experimental results and is able to unify gap detection with temporal discrimination. The model also provides a possible mechanism for the pacemaker in the internal clock hypothesis.