ABSTRACT:
I present some observations I have made on auditory perception. I do so for the following reasons. First, from a comparison of auditory phenomena and visual phenomena, I hope you will be able to see the similarities in the way the central nervous system processes the output of different sensory channels. Second, acoustic stimuli are simple and precise, and auditory perception is relatively simple (leaving out speech) in comparison to visual perception. Third, auditory phenomena are themselves interesting, without considering the implications for perceptual processing. Fourth, the study of tonal experience — apart from a few illustrations of Gestalt phenomena by Wertheimer (1923), Koffka (1962), Metzger (1975), and Deutsch (1975) — has been neglected. I think that tonal experience is at the same time the proper material and the yardstick for any investigation in auditory field.
