Hearing with the third ear: dichotic perception of a melody without monaural familiarity cues

Abstract

Julesz has shown that cross-correlations between two patterns that appear random to either eye alone can give rise to the perception of form and depth when viewed stereoscopically. We produced auditory analogs by presenting eight simultaneous and continuous sine waves to both ears and by either phaseshifting or frequency-shifting one of them relative to its counterpart in the opposite ear. Particular tones were shifted in sequence such that a melody was heard which was undetectable by either ear alone.