Assignment 1

Rules for Auditory Stimuli Grouping:

1. Proximity: Auditory stimuli occurring that are relatively close to each other are
perceived as a single event or grouped.
Example: Hearing a series of short beeps having minute gaps is perceived as a
continuous sound.
2. Past Experience: We learn to recognize and group different auditory stimuli through
exposure to various sounds, nature, and from people around us.
Example: We recognize and understand our mother tongue or learned languages.
3. Common Fate: Auditory stimuli that move or change in the same direction are
grouped.
Example: When we listen to a sound from far, we can recognize the direction from
which the sound is coming.
4. Similarity: Auditory stimuli with similar features like pitch, duration, and frequency are
to grouped together.
Example: In a song, we can recognize which sounds are from which instrument.
5. Continuity: Auditory stimuli that form a continuous pattern are grouped together.
Example: While listening to a piano, a sequence of ascending or descending notes
creates the perception of a continuous melodic line.
6. Closure: Auditory stimuli that create an impression of a complete or closed pattern
are grouped together.
Example: The brain automatically fills in missing notes while listening to music.
7. Figure-Ground Segregation: Auditory stimuli can be distinguished into foreground
and background sounds. We focus on the foreground sounds and tend to ignore
background ones.
Example: In a lecture hall, we can concentrate on a specific speaker's voice while
filtering out other background noises.