Simultaneous-masked psychophysical tuning curves were measured with narrow-band noise maskers varying in bandwidth from 40 Hz to 800 Hz to determine the masker bandwidths at which combination-band detection cues no longer influence tuning-curve shapes. Tuning curves were obtained at 1000 and 4000 Hz from normal-hearing listeners using high-level (60 dB SPL) probe tones in quiet and in the presence of a broadband background noise to eliminate combination bands and other off-frequency listening cues that exist at high levels. High-level tuning curves revealed notches on the low-frequency sides. Those notches were eliminated with broad-band background noise, which indicates that combination bands can strongly influence the shapes of high-level tuning curves obtained with narrow-band maskers, primarily by steepening the low-frequency and tail slopes. Combination-band detection cues had a stronger influence at 4000 Hz than at 1000 Hz. As masker bandwidth increased, combination bands had less influence on tuning-curve shapes. These results suggest a possible relation between masker bandwidth and auditory critical bandwidth: combination bands affected the low-frequency sides of the tuning curves only when the masker bandwidth was less than the auditory critical bandwidth.
[1]
Guido F. Smoorenburg,et al.
Combination Tones and Their Origin
,
1972
.
[2]
D A Nelson,et al.
High-level psychophysical tuning curves: simultaneous masking by pure tones and 100-Hz-wide noise bands.
,
1991,
Journal of speech and hearing research.
[3]
D D Greenwood.
Masking by combination bands: estimation of the levels of the combination bands (n+1)f 1 -nf h .
,
1972,
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.
[4]
D. D. Greenwood,et al.
Aural combination tones and auditory masking.
,
1971,
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.
[5]
E. Zwicker,et al.
Analytical expressions for critical‐band rate and critical bandwidth as a function of frequency
,
1980
.
[6]
Brian C. J. Moore,et al.
Formulae describing frequency selectivity as a function of frequency and level, and their use in calculating excitation patterns
,
1987,
Hearing Research.
[7]
B. Moore,et al.
Suggested formulae for calculating auditory-filter bandwidths and excitation patterns.
,
1983,
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.