title: Effect of broadband and narrowband contralateral noise on psychophysical tuning curves and otoacoustic emissions.
abstract: The relative effectiveness of narrowband and broadband noises in activating the efferent system was assessed by comparing the effect of contralateral stimulation (CS) with such sounds on psychophysical tuning curves (PTCs) determined in simultaneous masking, using signal frequencies of 1000 or 2000 Hz. To check that the CS stimuli used did activate the efferent system, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were also measured in the absence and presence of narrowband and broadband CS. The CS had no consistent effect on the masker level at the tips of the PTCs. A broadband pink noise CS consistently reduced the masker level required for threshold on both the low- and high-frequency sides of the PTCs for the 2000-Hz signal frequency. However, there were no consistent effects of the CS for any other case. The broadband pink noise CS had a greater effect in reducing DPOAE levels than the narrowband CS. The results provide psychophysical evidence supporting the idea that the efferent system is activated more effectively by a broadband than by a narrowband CS, at least for a signal frequency of 2000 Hz.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Acoustics, Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University, 85 Umultowska, 61-614 Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wicher
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, Cambridge University, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, England.
authors.forename: Brian C J
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D004007:Dichotic Listening Tests; D004525:Efferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D018072:Hair Cells, Auditory, Outer / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009622:Noise; D017084:Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous / Q000502:physiology; D010470:Perceptual Masking / Q000502:physiology; D010898:Pitch Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D055815:Young Adult