excitation pattern

a spatial pattern of responses to sound in the auditory system. It usually refers to the envelope of the displacement pattern on the basilar membrane or its representation in the auditory nerve. See tonotopic organization; tuning curve.

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Psychology term of the day

July 27th 2024

horizontal–vertical illusion

the misperception that vertical lines are longer than horizontal lines when both are actually the same length. The vertical element of an upper case letter T, for example, looks longer than the cross bar, even when the lengths are identical. See also foreshortening; Helmholtz square illusion.