Ohm's law: another look

In view of predictions of Ohm's acoustical law, this study explores the ability of the human observer to analyze multifrequency tonal configurations. The observer performed a monaural YES-NO detection task in which the signal frequency on each trial was randomly selected from a fixed set of eight frequencies. This frequency uncertainty could be reduced by utilizing a contralateral cue presented 700 msec prior to each observation interval. Cue types were (1) a single tone cue with the same frequency as the potential detection tone; (2) a three-frequency cue with the signal frequency as the middle component; and (3) a two-frequency envelope cue always bounding the signal frequency. When the cue consists of a single tone, detection performance is comparable to that obtained with fixed signal frequency. Performance is lower when the cue is a three-tone complex, containing the relevant frequency. Removing the relevant frequency from the cue reduces performance still further. The human observer appears to have the ability to hear out components of a tonal complex, although that ability is something less than perfect.