The octave illusion is an auditory illusion discovered by Diana Deutsch in 1973. It is produced when two tones that are an octave apart are repeatedly played in alternation ("high-low-high-low") through stereo headphones. The same sequence is played to both ears simultaneously; however when the right ear receives the high tone, the left ear receives the low tone, and conversely. Instead of hearing two alternating pitches, most subjects instead hear a single tone that alternates between ears while at the same time its pitch alternates between high and low.[1][2]
- ^ Deutsch, D. (1974). "An auditory illusion". The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 55 (S1): S18–S19. doi:10.1121/1.1919587. ISSN 0001-4966.
- ^ Deutsch, D. (1974). "An auditory illusion". Nature. 251 (5473): 307–309. doi:10.1038/251307a0. PMID 4427654. PDF Document