How to pick a peak: Pitch and peak shifting in temporal models of pitch perception

The standard autocorrelation model of pitch perception posits that the pitch of a stimulus can be predicted from the first major peak of a summary autocorrelation function (SACF) after the zero-delay peak. Models based on this theory are capable of predicting a wide range of pitch phenomena. There are, however, a number of cases where the approach fails. Two examples are noise edge pitch (NEP) and the pitch induced by the mistuning of a single component of an otherwise harmonic stimulus. Hartmann, Cariani, and Colburn [(2019). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 145, 1993-2008] recently proposed the use of multiple SACF peaks in the estimation process. This enables prediction of the NEP but suppresses the shift associated with a mistuned harmonic. A functional model is developed that can predict both of these pitch phenomena. The multiple-peak framework is extended with a non-standard peak-selection method that associates a delay time to a given peak in a manner that takes into account the entire shape of the bump surrounding the peak. This effectively shifts the peak location slightly for non-harmonic stimuli. A possible physiological mechanism that could induce such peak shifting is discussed, and the model is tested against existing psychophysical data.