Psychologists from the French National Center for Scientific Research and the University of Bordeaux made the discovery during an experiment designed to identify the mechanisms by which the human brain perceives auditory changes.

Study participants were asked to detect the change in pitch of a tone presented together with other tones. The complexity of the sound prior to the change was varied, as well as the duration of the silent interval between the original and changed sounds.

The psychologists discovered participants were able to detect changes in even the most complex sounds no matter how long the interval between the original and changed sounds.

Prior experiments had shown intervals as short as 100 milliseconds dramatically disrupted the ability to detect changes in complex visual stimuli. Only changes in very simple images can be detected after an interval of such duration.

The psychologists concluded the human brain uses more efficient mechanisms in auditory memory than in visual memory.

The study appears in the journal Psychological Science.

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