title: Comparison of fluctuating maskers for speech recognition tests.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the extent to which temporal gaps, temporal fine structure, and comprehensibility of the masker affect masking strength in speech recognition experiments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven different masker types with Dutch speech materials were evaluated. Amongst these maskers were the ICRA-5 fluctuating noise, the international speech test signal (ISTS), and competing talkers in Dutch and Swedish.
  
  
  METHODS
  Normal-hearing and hearing-impaired subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The normal-hearing subjects benefited from both temporal gaps and temporal fine structure in the fluctuating maskers. When the competing talker was comprehensible, performance decreased. The ISTS masker appeared to cause a large informational masking component. The stationary maskers yielded the steepest slopes of the psychometric function, followed by the modulated noises, followed by the competing talkers. Although the hearing-impaired group was heterogeneous, their data showed similar tendencies, but sometimes to a lesser extent, depending on individuals' hearing impairment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  If measurement time is of primary concern non-modulated maskers are advised. If it is useful to assess release of masking by the use of temporal gaps, a fluctuating noise is advised. If perception of temporal fine structure is being investigated, a foreign-language competing talker is advised.
authors.affiliation: ExpORL, Dept. Neurosciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. tom.francart@med.kuleuven.be
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Francart
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van Wieringen
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wouters
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013065:Speech Intelligibility; D013067:Speech Perception; D013069:Speech Reception Threshold Test; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult