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Published on: October 29, 2018
Amplitude-modulation forward masking for listeners with and without hearing loss
Adam Svec1, Magdalena Wojtczak2, Peggy B Nelson3
1Department of Audiology, San José State University, San José, California 95112, USA.
Amplitude-modulation (AM) forward masking was investigated in individuals with normal hearing and sensorineural hearing loss. Results showed similar masking effects across both groups, indicating AM forward masking is not significantly different between them.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Psychoacoustics
- Hearing Science
Background:
- Amplitude-modulation (AM) forward masking is crucial for understanding auditory processing.
- Investigating AM forward masking in sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) can reveal differences in auditory system function compared to normal hearing (NH).
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure and compare AM forward masking between listeners with normal hearing and those with SNHL.
- To examine the influence of continuous versus noncontinuous masker carriers on AM forward masking.
- To determine if unmodulated Gaussian noise (U-GN) elicits AM forward masking.
Main Methods:
- AM forward masking was assessed at 4000 Hz and 1000 Hz.
- Listeners included groups with normal hearing and SNHL.
- Continuous low-fluctuation noise (LFN) and noncontinuous maskers (unmodulated LFN, U-GN, AM-LFN) were employed.
Main Results:
- U-GN produced more masking than U-LFN and comparable masking to AM-LFN, supporting its role in AM forward masking.
- Contrary to hypotheses, no significant differences in masked thresholds were found between the normal hearing and SNHL listener groups.
Conclusions:
- Unmodulated Gaussian noise effectively induces AM forward masking.
- Auditory processing of AM forward masking, as measured in this study, appears similar in individuals with normal hearing and sensorineural hearing loss.
- Further research may explore other aspects of auditory processing where differences between these groups are more pronounced.
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