Abstract
The amount of masking of sounds from one source (signals) by sounds from a competing source (maskers) heavily depends on the sound characteristics of the masker and the signal and on their relative spatial location. Numerous studies investigated the ability to detect a signal in a speech or a noise masker or the effect of spatial separation of signal and masker on the amount of masking, but there is a lack of studies investigating the combined effects of many cues on the masking as is typical for natural listening situations. The current study using free-field listening systematically evaluates the combined effects of harmonicity and inharmonicity cues in multi-tone maskers and cues resulting from spatial separation of target signal and masker on the detection of a pure tone in a multi-tone or a noise masker. A linear binaural processing model was implemented to predict the masked thresholds in order to estimate whether the observed thresholds can be accounted for by energetic masking in the auditory periphery or whether other effects are involved. Thresholds were determined for combinations of two target frequencies (1 and 8 kHz), two spatial configurations (masker and target either co-located or spatially separated by 90 degrees azimuth), and five different masker types (four complex multi-tone stimuli, one noise masker). A spatial separation of target and masker resulted in a release from masking for all masker types. The amount of masking significantly depended on the masker type and frequency range. The various harmonic and inharmonic relations between target and masker or between components of the masker resulted in a complex pattern of increased or decreased masked thresholds in comparison to the predicted energetic masking. The results indicate that harmonicity cues affect the detectability of a tonal target in a complex masker.
Highlights
The ability to detect and process a sound in an acoustically complex environment, for example, a speech sound produced by one talker in an assembly of many talkers, is essential for efficient communication and the perception of important signals
Other processes in addition to energetic masking mechanisms may affect the perception when detecting a target in a more complex masking stimulus than noise. Spatial cues such as time and intensity differences between the sounds reaching each ear can be exploited to considerably reduce the amount of masking if target and masker sound sources are at different spatial locations
We examined the effect of five different masker types on the detection of the target
Summary
The ability to detect and process a sound in an acoustically complex environment, for example, a speech sound produced by one talker in an assembly of many talkers, is essential for efficient communication and the perception of important signals. For example, the amount of masking depends on the amount of masker energy present in the auditory filter that contains the target signal (but see [1]). Other processes in addition to energetic masking mechanisms may affect the perception when detecting a target in a more complex masking stimulus than noise. Spatial cues such as time and intensity differences between the sounds reaching each ear can be exploited to considerably reduce the amount of masking if target and masker sound sources are at different spatial locations (an effect that is called spatial release from masking, SRM, e.g., [3,4]). It has been observed that signal detection may be impaired in situations of high signal uncertainty, an effect that has been termed informational masking (e.g., [7,8])
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