An early perceptual locus of absolute pitch.

Absolute pitch (AP) refers to the naming of musical tone without external reference. The influential two‐component model states that AP is limited by the late‐emerging pitch labeling process only and not the earlier perceptual and memory processes. Over the years, however, support for this model at the neural level has been mixed with various methodological limitations. Here, the electroencephalography responses of 27 AP possessors and 27 non‐AP possessors were recorded. During both name verification and passive listening, event‐related potential analyses showed a difference between AP and non‐AP possessors at about 200 ms in their response toward tones compared with noise stimuli. Multivariate pattern analyses suggested that pitch naming was subserved by a series of transient processes for the first 250 ms, followed by a stage‐like process for both AP and non‐AP possessors with no group differences between them. These findings are inconsistent with the predictions of the two‐component model, and instead suggest the existence of an early perceptual locus of AP. Absolute pitch (AP) is a skill that is of high interest to musicians, and the existing model of AP suggested a late locus associated with tone labeling. Using an event‐related design contrasting AP and non‐AP musicians with noise control, we found an AP‐sensitive ERP effect at about 200 ms, which supported the existence of an early perceptual locus of AP. Our finding calls for a revision of the current theoretical model of AP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]