A comparison of monotic and dichotic complex-tone pitch perception in listeners with hearing loss

The perception of fundamental pitch for two-harmonic complex tones was exam ined in musically experienced listeners with cochlear-based high-frequency hearing loss. Performance in a musical interval identification task was mea sured as a function of the average rank of the lowest harmonic for both mon otic and dichotic presentation of the harmonics at 14 dB Sensation Level. L isteners with hearing loss demonstrated excellent musical interval identifi cation at low fundamental frequencies and low harmonic numbers, but abnorma lly poor identification at higher fundamental frequencies and higher averag e ranks. The upper frequency limit of performance in the listeners with hea ring loss was similar in both monotic and dichotic conditions. These result s suggest that something other than frequency resolution per se limits comp lex-tone pitch perception in listeners with hearing loss. (C) 1999 Acoustic al Society of America. [S0001-4966(99)02108-6].