Auditory filters measured at neighboring center frequencies

Auditory filters were derived in 20 normal-hearing human listeners at center frequencies (CFs) of 913, 1095, 3651, and 4382 Hz using the roex (p,r) method. Comparisons were made between slopes of the filters' skirts at the neighboring CFs with filter output levels of 45 and 70 dB. The same comparisons were made with regard to filter equivalent rectangular bandwidth (ERB). In the 1000-Hz region, the low-frequency slopes (Pl) of filters centered at 913 and 1095 Hz were significantly correlated at both stimulus levels, while the high-frequency slopes (Pu) were similar only at the high test level. In the 4000-Hz region, for sinusoids of 3651 and 4382 Hz, the level effect was clearer as both Pu and Pl values diverged at the low level but were related at high levels. The ERBs centered at the same CFs displayed a similar level dependence. At the stimulus level most likely to be affected by an active feedback mechanism, auditory filters centered at nearly the same frequency displayed quite distinct frequency selectivity, and this trend was stronger in the 4000-Hz region than the 1000-Hz region. The findings suggest that a saturating, active cochlear mechanism may not be distributed evenly, or contribute to peripheral tuning with equal effectiveness throughout the length of the partition.