Modelling the perceptual separation of concurrent vowels with a network of neural oscillators

The ability of listeners to identify two simultaneously presented vowels is improved by introducing a difference in fundamental frequency between the vowels. We propose an explanation for this phenomenon in the form of a computational model of concurrent sound segregation, which is motivated by neurophysiological evidence of oscillatory firing activity in the higher auditory system. In the model, the perceptual grouping of auditory peripheral channels is coded by synchronised oscillations in a neural oscillator network. Computer simulations confirm that the model qualitatively matches the double vowel identification performance of human listeners