Abstract
Pitch discrimination by the human auditory system of components in harmonic tones presented dichotically is studied using a bias-free index, d′. The experimental results suggest that the pitch discrimination of an individual component in a harmonic tone depends on its harmonic number and also on the presentation scheme (i.e., the way it is presented to the listener). Part of the dependence on the harmonic number may be attributed to the strength of the perceptual grouping of harmonic components due to a specific relation in frequency, such as octave relation, between the harmonic and fundamental components. The dependence on the presentation scheme may be attributed to the difference between the strength of the perceptual grouping of harmonic components presented to the same ear and that of components presented to the opposite ear.
