Table_1_Computer-based musical interval training program for Cochlear implant users and listeners with no known hearing loss.xlsx

A musical interval is the difference in pitch between two sounds. The way that musical intervals are used in melodies relative to the tonal center of a key can strongly affect the emotion conveyed by the melody. The present study examines musical interval identification in people with no known hearing loss and in cochlear implant users. Pitch resolution varies widely among cochlear implant users with average resolution an order of magnitude worse than in normal hearing. The present study considers the effect of training on musical interval identification and tests for correlations between low-level psychophysics and higher-level musical abilities. The overarching hypothesis is that cochlear implant users are limited in their ability to identify musical intervals both by low-level access to frequency cues for pitch as well as higher-level mapping of the novel encoding of pitch that implants provide. Participants completed a 2-week, online interval identification training. The benchmark tests considered before and after interval identification training were pure tone detection thresholds, pure tone frequency discrimination, fundamental frequency discrimination, tonal and rhythm comparisons, and interval identification. The results indicate strong correlations between measures of pitch resolution with interval identification; however, only a small effect of training on interval identification was observed for the cochlear implant users. Discussion focuses on improving access to pitch cues for cochlear implant users and on improving auditory training for musical intervals.

乐音音程（musical interval）是指两个声音之间的音高差值。乐音音程在旋律中相对于调式中心音的使用方式，会极大影响旋律所传递的情感。本研究针对无已知听力损失人群与人工耳蜗（cochlear implant）使用者展开乐音音程识别能力的测试。人工耳蜗使用者的音高分辨率差异显著，其平均分辨率较正常听力人群差一个数量级。本研究探究训练对乐音音程识别能力的影响，并检验低级心理物理学（psychophysics）指标与高级音乐能力之间的相关性。本研究的核心假设为：人工耳蜗使用者的乐音音程识别能力受限，一方面源于其获取音高频率线索的低级通路存在障碍，另一方面则难以对人工耳蜗所提供的新型音高编码方式完成高级映射。受试者完成了为期两周的线上音程识别训练课程。音程识别训练前后的基准测试包括纯音检测阈值、纯音频率辨别、基频辨别、调式与节奏比较，以及音程识别五项内容。研究结果显示，音高分辨率相关指标与音程识别能力之间存在显著相关性；但仅观察到训练对人工耳蜗使用者的音程识别能力存在微弱的提升效果。讨论部分围绕改善人工耳蜗使用者的音高线索获取途径，以及优化针对乐音音程的听觉训练展开。