Moore Brian C J
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK.
Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2002 May 15;360(1794):833-58. doi: 10.1098/rsta.2001.0970.
This paper reviews interference effects in the auditory system, particularly effects occurring in the outer ear and the inner ear (cochlea). Sounds enter the ear canal both directly and after reflections from the pinna. This results in complex spectral patterns, which vary systematically with the direction of incidence of the sound source relative to the head. Evidence is described indicating that these spectral patterns are used in the localization of sounds in space. The cochlea behaves like a limited-resolution frequency analyser. When the components of a complex sound are closely spaced in frequency, they can interfere on the basilar membrane (BM) within the cochlea. Interference effects on the BM are complex, as they are influenced by a physiologically active mechanism which introduces strong nonlinearities, including level-dependent amplification. Interference effects on the BM play a role in many aspects of auditory perception, including the perception of consonance and dissonance, the perception of pitch, the perception of changes in phase, and the perception of timbre. Interference effects in the cochlea may also play a role in producing the spectral regularity observed in sounds reflected from the ear (otoacoustic emissions).
本文综述了听觉系统中的干涉效应，特别是在外耳和内耳（耳蜗）中出现的效应。声音既可以直接进入耳道，也可以在耳廓反射后进入。这会产生复杂的频谱模式，这些模式会随着声源相对于头部的入射方向而系统地变化。文中描述了相关证据，表明这些频谱模式被用于空间中声音的定位。耳蜗的作用类似于一个分辨率有限的频率分析仪。当一个复合声音的各个成分在频率上紧密相邻时，它们会在耳蜗内的基底膜（BM）上发生干涉。基底膜上的干涉效应很复杂，因为它们受到一种生理活性机制的影响，这种机制会引入强烈的非线性，包括与声级相关的放大。基底膜上的干涉效应在听觉感知的许多方面都发挥着作用，包括和谐与不和谐的感知、音高的感知、相位变化的感知以及音色的感知。耳蜗中的干涉效应也可能在产生从耳朵反射的声音中观察到的频谱规律性（耳声发射）方面发挥作用。
