Comparison of auditory filter shapes derived with three different maskers

Auditory filter shapes were derived for three different masker types, by measuring threshold for a 1-kHz sinusoidal signal masked by: (a) a noise with a spectral notch of variable width; (b) two tones with variable frequency separation; and (c) a noise with a sinusoidally rippled spectrum with variable ripple density. In each case the masker spectrum was symmetric about the signal frequency, the signal level was fixed, and the masker level was varied to determine threshold using an adaptive, two-alternative, forced-choice procedure. Both simultaneous and forward masking were used. The auditory filter shapes derived from the data were broader in simultaneous masking than in forward masking for all three masker types. In simultaneous masking the derived filters were similar for the three masker types, although there was a tendency for the filters derived from the rippled-noise data to be broader than those for the other maskers. In forward masking the auditory filters derived from the data for three masker types differed considerably in bandwidth and the slope of the filter skirts, and in that a portion of the rippled-noise filter was negative valued. The results are consistent with the idea that suppression has the effect of enhancing frequency selectivity, and that this effect is revealed in forward but not in simultaneous masking. However, the degree and nature of the enhancement differs for different masker types.