title: The effects of a high-frequency suppressor on tuning curves and derived basilar-membrane response functions.
abstract: Forward-masked psychophysical tuning curves were obtained using a fixed, low-level signal at a frequency of 4 kHz, and masker frequencies of 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 3.75, 4.0, 4.25, 4.5, 4.75, 5.0, and 5.5 kHz, at masker-signal gaps of 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, and 100 ms. An adaptive two-interval, two alternative forced-choice (21-2AFC) procedure was used to obtain the masker level at threshold. This procedure was repeated with the addition of a 4.75-kHz suppressor at 50 or 60 dB SPL, gated with the masker. Tuning curves were broader, and estimates of compression and gain from derived input/output functions were decreased in the presence of a suppressor as compared to the no-suppressor condition. The results are consistent with physiological results, which show that suppression leads to a broadening of tuning curves and a partial linearization of the midlevel portion of the basilar-membrane input/output function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, England. iyasin@essex.ac.uk
authors.forename: Ifat
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yasin
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Plack
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D001489:Basilar Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008144:Loudness Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D010470:Perceptual Masking / Q000502:physiology*; D010897:Pitch Discrimination / Q000502:physiology*; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D013018:Sound Spectrography