Echo Suppression in a Computational Model of the Precedence Effect

Recent neurophysiological evidence suggests that the so-called precedence effect is a composite of multiple phenomena, in particular echo suppression and “active” mechanisms that build up and release suppression. We propose a simple functional model of echo suppression in a population of low-frequency ITD-sensitive neurons in the inferior colliculus. Our model is based on Zurek’s 1987 proposal, and we show that it is consistent with Zurek’s 1980 psychophysical data by presenting the results of two experiments. The current model is extensible to other localization cues represented by rate-place codes, and we suggest that a model such as this is a necessary component of computational models of spatial hearing.