Cognitations EP #16 | What do Auditory Illusions Reveal about the Brain? | Daniel Pressnitzer
May 30, 2025
Daniel Pressnitzer, Director of Research at CNRS and head of the Audition team at the École normale supérieure, explores the fascinating world of auditory perception. He discusses the unique adaptations of hearing across species and dives into neuroplasticity, explaining how our brains adapt based on sound experiences. The intriguing shepherd tone illusion exemplifies the psychology of sound interpretation. Pressnitzer also highlights advancements in hearing aid technology, illustrating the importance of collaboration in enhancing auditory experiences.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Daniel's interdisciplinary journey
- Daniel Pressnitzer moved from aeronautical engineering to auditory cognition embracing interdisciplinarity.
- His journey included studying music consonance at IRCAM then neurophysiology at Cambridge.
Auditory system's unique time challenge
- Hearing processes sounds primarily over time and frequency, unlike vision which maps space.
- The auditory nerve codes frequencies but cannot capture the high-speed detail of sounds directly.
Complex auditory brain pathways
- Auditory processing passes through complex subcortical brain structures before cortex.
- This helps slow down and reformat fast auditory signals for higher brain areas.
