Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis
Published on: November 9, 2011
Forward masking of amplitude modulation: Sensory versus perceptual components
Christopher Conroy1, Andrew J Byrne1, Gerald Kidd1,2
1Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences and Hearing Research Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
None:
Previous findings suggest that forward masking in the amplitude-modulation (AM) domain includes both sensory and perceptual components. The sensory component reflects masking associated with AM-rate-selective neural channels, whereas the perceptual component reflects masking associated with perceived target-masker similarity. In this article, it is shown that AM forward masking can be substantially reduced or even eliminated by reducing perceived target-masker similarity. It is suggested, therefore, that, under certain conditions, AM forward masking includes, at most, a weak sensory component along with a stronger perceptual component related to perceived target-masker similarity. This complicates interpretations of AM forward masking that rely on AM-rate-selective neural channels.
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