Neural processing the global properties of natural auditory scenes

Conscious perception of an auditory scene is often assumed to rely on the identification and segregation of multiple objects making sounds around the same time. However, it is possible that a more global process may also occur when we evaluate auditory scenes. Studies in the visual domain have identified global properties that aid in our rapid recognition of visual scenes – even without identifying each individual object within it. Recent behavioral work from our lab has provided preliminary evidence for the use of global properties in natural auditory scene perception. The present study aims to expand these preliminary findings and investigate neural processing of natural auditory scenes. During EEG recording, participants will listen to 200 scenes and will be asked to complete a “setting” task and an object identification task, separately. Scenes will then be categorized into a “high” and “low” group based on their scores on factors 1 and 2 from the exploratory factor analysis conducted in McMullin et al. (in prep). A cluster-based analysis on temporal response functions will be used to identify distinct spatio-temporal response patterns associated with scene- and object-related processing. Additional cluster-based analyses on time-frequency data will assess distinct changes in power and periods of inter-trial phase coherence associated with scene and object processing. The results of this study will better inform us of the neural activity related to natural auditory scenes composed of real, recognizable objects.