The impact of prior knowledge on perceiving vocal elements in MIDI-converted music.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Illusions in which gaps in sensory evidence are filled in using prior knowledge represent a useful avenue for understanding the constructive nature of perception. The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) vocals illusion, wherein listeners perceive the presence of vocal elements in a digitally converted audio format with none present, presents a novel opportunity to characterize the role of prior experience in auditory perceptual filling-in.

Methods

In two experiments, participants reported the occurrence and duration of either imprecise or precise vocal elements in MIDI-converted audio. To isolate the effect of prior exposure on the emergence of the illusion in each experiment, the participants first listened to 12 MIDI-converted excerpts from a subset of

SUBMITTER: Metcalfe SD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12518094 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature