title: Clinical masking with tragal rubbing and the Bárány noise-box.
abstract: When assessing hearing by free-field voice testing, it is essential to mask the non-test ear. An appropriate method of masking must be chosen to suit the stimulus used. This study demonstrates that tragal rubbing is an effective means of masking a whispered or conversational voice, but a Bárány noise-box is required to mask a loud voice. However, a Bárány noise-box should not be used routinely as it is likely to overmask a normal or mildly impaired ear.
authors.affiliation: University Department of Otolaryngology, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: I R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Swan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001302:Audiometry, Speech / Q000379:methods*; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D009622:Noise; D014833:Voice Quality