Spatial cues can support auditory figure-ground segregation.

A study by Tóth, Kocsis, Háden, Szerafin, Shinn-Cunningham, and Winkler [Neuroimage 141, 108 - 119 (2016)] reported that spatial cues (such as interaural differences or ITDs) that differentiate the perceived sound source directions of a target tone sequence (figure) from simultaneous distracting tones (background) did not improve the ability of participants to detect the target sequence. The present study aims to investigate more systematically whether spatially separating a complex auditory "figure" from the background auditory stream may enhance the detection of a target in a cluttered auditory scene. Results of the presented experiment suggest that the previous negative results arose because of the specific experimental conditions tested. Here the authors find that ITDs provide a clear benefit for detecting a target tone sequence amid a mixture of other simultaneous tone bursts.