Abstract
Aural harmonic distortion was produced in seven normal ears by presenting a 1000-Hz pure tone (f1) at 57, 61, 65, 67, 69, 71, and 74 dB SPL. Simultaneously, listeners traced a Békésy-type threshold for an objective 2000-Hz tone (f2) which was “phase shifted” through 360°. The variations in such tracings fit the equation; Y = A1+A2 sin (x+φ). The effect of the changes in f1 intensity upon the three dependent variables, A1, A2, and φ, will be analyzed separately. Results indicate that increases in the f1 intensity produce: (1) linear increases (slope≈2.0–2.5 dB) in A1, the over-all masking level; (2) a small but complex change in A2, the phase amplitude effect; and (3) no change in φ, the phase shift. These data will be interpreted in terms of a model that has three major assumptions: (a) the ear generates an aural harmonic (AH); (b) the objective f2 and the AH sum vectorially; (c) the listener must maintain the resultant sum at some perceptual threshold level.
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