Fringed correlation discrimination and binaural detection

Results are reported from a series of binaural detection and interaural correlation discrimination experiments at 500 Hz. The experiments include fringed correlation discrimination in which the correlation change is restricted to a narrow (38 Hz) target band of frequencies and the reference correlation is maintained in a fringe band of frequencies. This experiment is designed to be analogous to a detection experiment with a narrow-band target; in both cases the correlation changes only inside the target band. A simplified theoretical framework is used to compare the results of the detection and correlation discrimination experiments. Results are consistent with the notion that binaural detection and interaural correlation discrimination are effected by a common mechanism when the reference correlation is unity (as in the NoS pi case). When the reference correlation is zero (as in the NuSo case), detection performance is significantly better than predicted from the measured ability to discriminate interaural correlation.