Release from speech-on-speech masking in a front-and-back geometry.
Informational masking of a target female talker by female distracters was measured with target and distracters presented from directly in front of the listener as a baseline condition. Next, it was found that if the distracters were also presented from directly in back of the listener, advanced or delayed by a few milliseconds with respect to the distracters in front, release from informational masking occurred. Release from informational masking was found for all delays within the Haas region of +/-50 ms, with peak release of about 3.5 dB. This peak occurred for a delay of +/-2 ms and it was shown to be the result of delay-and-add filtering. Release from energetic masking was also found, but only for delays of +/-0.5 ms or less.
Aaronson
Neil L
NL
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA.
Rakerd
Brad
B
Hartmann
William M
WM
D000669:Amplifiers, Electronic; D006801:Humans; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D013060:Speech; D013067:Speech Perception