Frequency discrimination in quiet and in noise for signals with triangular spectral envelopes.
The just-noticeable-difference in frequency (jndf) for complex signals with triangular spectral envelopes is found to depend on the envelope slope. For shallow slopes (less than 140 dB/oct), jndf increases with decreasing slope. Addition of noise also impairs frequency discrimination within a region of about 20 dB above masked threshold. This is found for both maskers used: a wideband noise and a narrow-band masker which is below the signal in frequency. When wideband noise is used, frequency discrimination of complex signals with shallow slopes deteriorates more rapidly with decreasing signal-to-noise ratio than it does when the signals have steep spectral slopes.
D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology; D004056:Differential Threshold; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000502:physiology; D009622:Noise; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D000159:Vestibulocochlear Nerve / Q000502:physiology