The influence of broadband noise on the precedence effect

This study examined the influence of background noise on the localization of lead-lag noise-burst pairs and on echo threshold for the same stimuli. Experiments were conducted in an anechoic chamber with a leading stimulus delivered from a loudspeaker at 45 degrees to the right of center and a lagging stimulus from 45 degrees left. Lead and lag stimuli were 4-ms bursts of Gaussian noise. In experiment 1, with lead and lag at equal levels and the lag delay fixed at 2 ms, the perceived location of the image produced by the lead-lag stimulus was estimated from subjects' left/right judgments relative to bursts from a "comparitor" loudspeaker whose position could be adjusted. In experiment 2, the dominance of the leading burst on perceived location was measured by determining the increase in level of the lagging burst necessary to produce an image estimated to be centered at 0 degree azimuth. Experiment 3 was concerned with echo threshold. Subjects reported whether or not they heard a sound in the vicinity of the lagging loudspeaker as the lag-burst delay was varied. In all three experiments, data were obtained for four to five stimulus levels in quiet and for three levels of background white noise from a loudspeaker at 180 degrees. The results revealed a substantial weakening effect of background noise on the precedence effect in experiments 2 and 3, and a nonsignificant effect in experiment 1.