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Masking patterns for sinusoidal and narrow-band noise maskers
B C Moore1, J I Alcántara, T Dau
1Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, England.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|August 26, 1998
Summary
Temporal fluctuations, or beats, significantly impact auditory masking patterns, especially for tonal maskers. These beats, along with combination products, explain irregularities observed in masking patterns across various frequencies.
Area of Science:
- Psychoacoustics
- Auditory perception
- Signal processing in hearing
Background:
- Auditory masking patterns, which describe how a masker sound raises the detection threshold for a signal sound, can exhibit complex irregularities.
- Understanding these irregularities is crucial for a comprehensive model of auditory perception and the factors influencing sound detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the underlying mechanisms responsible for distinct irregularities observed in auditory masking patterns.
- To determine the relative importance of factors such as temporal fluctuations (beats) and combination products in shaping these patterns.
Main Methods:
- Employed a three-alternative adaptive forced-choice method with feedback to measure masking patterns.
- Utilized both sinusoidal and narrow-band noise (80 Hz wide) for signals and maskers across different frequency centers (250, 1000, 4000 Hz).
- Manipulated masker properties and introduced additional tones/noise to isolate the effects of beats and combination products.
Main Results:
- Masking patterns showed irregularities, particularly above the masker frequency, which were more pronounced for tonal maskers than noise maskers.
- Introducing low-pass noise to mask combination products reduced irregularities for noise maskers but not for tonal maskers.
- Adding tones to create beats largely eliminated dips in masking patterns for both tonal and noise maskers, suggesting a strong influence of temporal fluctuations.
Conclusions:
- Temporal fluctuations (beats) are a significant factor influencing auditory masking patterns, particularly for tonal maskers at specific frequency separations.
- The detection of combination products also contributes to the observed masking irregularities.
- These findings refine our understanding of auditory processing and the complex interplay of acoustic factors in sound perception.
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