Human Time-Frequency Acuity Beats the Fourier Uncertainty Principle

TL;DR

This study reveals that humans can surpass the traditional Fourier uncertainty limit in time-frequency judgment tasks, indicating complex neural processing and exceptional timing acuity in auditory perception.

Contribution

It demonstrates that human auditory perception exceeds the Fourier uncertainty principle, challenging simple linear models and suggesting complex neural algorithms.

Findings

Humans often exceed the uncertainty limit by more than tenfold.

Timing acuity is a key feature in auditory object processing.

Results suggest complex, nonlinear neural algorithms in auditory perception.

Abstract

The time-frequency uncertainty principle states that the product of the temporal and frequency extents of a signal cannot be smaller than $1/(4\pi)$. We study human ability to simultaneously judge the frequency and the timing of a sound. Our subjects often exceeded the uncertainty limit, sometimes by more than tenfold, mostly through remarkable timing acuity. Our results establish a lower bound for the nonlinearity and complexity of the algorithms employed by our brains in parsing transient sounds, rule out simple "linear filter" models of early auditory processing, and highlight timing acuity as a central feature in auditory object processing.