title: High-level psychophysical tuning curves: simultaneous masking with different noise bandwidths.
abstract: Simultaneous-masked psychophysical tuning curves were measured with narrow-band noise maskers varying in bandwidth from 40 Hz to 800 Hz to determine the masker bandwidths at which combination-band detection cues no longer influence tuning-curve shapes. Tuning curves were obtained at 1000 and 4000 Hz from normal-hearing listeners using high-level (60 dB SPL) probe tones in quiet and in the presence of a broadband background noise to eliminate combination bands and other off-frequency listening cues that exist at high levels. High-level tuning curves revealed notches on the low-frequency sides. Those notches were eliminated with broad-band background noise, which indicates that combination bands can strongly influence the shapes of high-level tuning curves obtained with narrow-band maskers, primarily by steepening the low-frequency and tail slopes. Combination-band detection cues had a stronger influence at 4000 Hz than at 1000 Hz. As masker bandwidth increased, combination bands had less influence on tuning-curve shapes. These results suggest a possible relation between masker bandwidth and auditory critical bandwidth: combination bands affected the low-frequency sides of the tuning curves only when the masker bandwidth was less than the auditory critical bandwidth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Fortune
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D001299:Audiometry / Q000379:methods; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D009622:Noise; D010470:Perceptual Masking / Q000502:physiology*