title: Binaural spectral resolution as a function of interaural masker correlation.
abstract: Thresholds for an antiphasic 500-Hz sinusoid (Sπ) were measured in the presence of a notched-noise masker for three different interaural masker correlations: -1 (Nπ), 1 (N0), and 0.87. The difference between thresholds for the three masker correlations was largest for a notch width of zero and decreased continuously with increasing notch width. The bandwidth of a gammatone filter fitted to the data was 85 Hz for the interaural masker correlation of -1 (NπSπ) and 182 Hz for the interaural masker correlation of 1 (N0Sπ). For the intermediate correlation (0.87) the effective filter width was 134 Hz. This result is at odds with corresponding literature results of a bandwidening experiment where an effectively larger binaural bandwidth is only found with extreme interaural disparities of signal and masker, such as N0Sπ. The notched-noise thresholds were predicted if a detrimental across-channel process was included in the model. This approach failed to predict the effect of masker correlation in the bandwidening experiments. A beneficial across-channel process successfully used in the literature to simulate bandwidening data with extreme binaural parameters also failed to predict this effect. The effect may be due to interaural parameter fluctuations currently not used in the model framework.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Audiology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Strasse 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jesko L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Verhey
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Audiology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Strasse 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nitschmann