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Published on: February 10, 2016
Binaural comodulation masking release: effects of masker interaural correlation
Joseph W Hall1, Emily Buss, John H Grose
1Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA. jwh@med.unc.edu
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|January 18, 2007
Summary
Binaural hearing performance improved with comodulated flanking noise bands, especially when interaural correlation was reduced. This suggests the auditory system uses across-frequency correlation information for enhanced sound detection.
Area of Science:
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Psychoacoustics
- Signal Processing
Background:
- Binaural hearing relies on interaural time and level differences for sound localization and detection.
- Masking patterns, including the onset-signal masking band (OSB), influence auditory signal detection.
- Interaural correlation of noise affects binaural hearing, with perfect correlation (No) often yielding optimal performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of flanking noise bands with varying interaural correlations on binaural signal detection.
- To determine if random or comodulated flanking bands influence detection thresholds differently compared to noise alone.
- To explore the underlying mechanisms responsible for improved binaural detection in specific noise conditions.
Main Methods:
- Listeners performed binaural detection tasks with a signal in a narrow noise band (OSB).
- Noise conditions included varying interaural correlations (1.0, 0.99, 0.95) and flanking bands (random or comodulated).
- Signal detection theory was applied to analyze changes in detection thresholds (Spi).
Main Results:
- In No noise, random flanking bands impaired detection, while comodulated bands showed mixed effects.
- With reduced interaural correlation (0.99, 0.95), random flanking bands were less detrimental.
- Comodulated flanking bands consistently improved Spi thresholds across all listeners at lower correlations.
Conclusions:
- Improved binaural detection with comodulated bands is not explained by optimal cue combination or dynamic interaural phase differences.
- Envelope information from flanking bands may enhance the weighting of binaural signal cues.
- The auditory system demonstrates sensitivity to across-frequency differences in ongoing interaural correlation.
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