Interaural time difference processing of broadband and narrow-band noise by inexperienced listeners

Recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data might be interpreted as being in disagreement with existing psychophysical data regarding the laterality of broadband noise stimuli presented with large interaural time differences (ITDs). This study investigated the possibility that lateral judgments made by inexperienced listeners who did not receive feedback might be different than those reported for experienced listeners, especially when the ITD is longer than that occurring in nature, and therefore data from inexperienced listeners presented unnaturally long ITDs for the first time might be more consistent with the possible interpretation of the fMRI results. The results from this study using inexperienced listeners were not basically different from those reported in the literature based on experienced listeners, suggesting a possible difference does exist between inferences drawn from fMRI data and human psychophysical results.