title: Evaluation of similarity effects in informational masking.
abstract: The degree of similarity between signal and masker in informational masking paradigms has been hypothesized to contribute to informational masking. The present study attempted to quantify "similarity" using a discrimination task. Listeners discriminated various signal stimuli from a multitone complex and then detected the presence of those signals embedded in a multitone informational masker. Discriminability negatively correlated with detection threshold in an informational masking experiment, indicating that similarity between signal and the masker quality contributed to informational masking. These results suggest a method for specifying relevant signal attributes in informational masking paradigms involving similarity manipulations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, 3401 Walnut Street, Suite 302C, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA. thomyle@sas.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Thomas Y
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Virginia M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Richards
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D001299:Audiometry; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D001307:Auditory Perception; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D011897:Random Allocation; D055815:Young Adult