Thankyou for the detailed help. Unfortunately due to time restraints I
won't be able to follow up on all your suggested reading (but as many as
possible :).
If possible, I would like your opinion on theories I have come up with,
with regards to auditory 2-point descrimination:
(Forgive the 2nd year level niavity)
Looking at the auditory pathway, I first proposed that it may be the
tympanic membrane and/or hair cells which is the limiting factor in the
ability to descriminate 2 sounds. Unfortunately, texts reveal that hair
cells are capable of handling up to 1Megahertz of vibration (our results
show fusion begins around 17 millissec), and is clearly not. Next I began
to look at the afferent fibers which connect to the hair cells, my group
advises me that they have an absolute refractory period of 1ms, still not a
limiting factor. From this I concluded (?) that it must be higher brain
functions that are the cause of the perception of fusion. My theory is that
since the noise in the middle is so small, the brain descriminates against
it, casting it aside as unimportant background noise. Perhaps like the
blind spot in the eye?
~~~~ ~ ~~~~
~ = noise
What do you think?
Regards,
Duy