Auditory Illusions: How Our Brains Can Fool Us
Humans are fairly susceptible to illusions, despite an innate ability to process complex stimuli. Amongst these misinterpretations, known as illusions, falls the category of auditory illusions. Many auditory illusions, particularly of music and of speech, result from hearing sound patterns that are highly probable, even though they are heard incorrectly. This is due to the influence of our knowledge and experience of many sounds we have heard.
Auditory illusions highlight areas where the human ear and brain, as organic survival tools, differentiate from perfect audio receptors; this shows that it is possible for a human being to hear something that is not there and be able to react to the sound they supposedly heard. However, that does not prevent people from being fooled by auditory illusions.
What are Auditory Illusions?
Auditory illusions are perceptual experiences where the sound we hear differs from the actual sound stimulus present. In order to prevent hearing echo created by perceiving multiple sounds coming from different spaces, the human auditory system relates the sounds as being from one source. There are a multitude of examples out in the world of auditory illusions. Sounds that are found in words are called embedded sounds, and these sounds are the cause of some auditory illusions.
Confirmation bias is believed to be largely responsible for the inaccurate judgments that people make when evaluating information, given that humans typically interpret and recall information that appeals to their own biases. Spatial information is processed with greater detail and accuracy in vision than in hearing.
Shepard Tone Illusion
Examples of Auditory Illusions
Composers have long been using the spatial components of music to alter the overall sound experienced by the listener. One of the more common methods of sound synthesis is the use of combination tones.
Here are some additional examples of auditory illusions:
- Embedded Sounds: These are sounds found within words that can create illusions.
- Combination Tones: These are created through sound synthesis techniques.
These illusions showcase how our auditory perception can be manipulated and how our brains actively interpret sound information.
Diagram of Auditory Processing