Abstract
Masking occurs when the perception of a stimulus is affected or covered by the presence of another signal in close proximity either in time or frequency. This study investigated frequency masking effects across a wide frequency range for whole-body vibration (WBV). The hypothesis that masking effects for WBV might be caused by sub-channels within the Pacinian channel was explored in two experiments. One experiment explored the masking effects of narrow band noise (NBN) on the perception threshold of sinusoidal vibrations; another explored the effect of different widths of NBN on the shift of the perception threshold for vertical vibration of seated subjects. The results show distinct masking effects for WBV based on frequency, albeit they do not support the existence of sub-channels within the Pacinian channel. Neither the typical masking effects associated with critical bands nor threshold shifts dependent on the bandwidth of the narrow band noise can be shown. Thus, the hypothesis does not appear to hold for WBV, but frequency masking must be considered for future studies and tactile applications.
Highlights
Whole-body vibration (WBV) is an integral part of everyday life
Frequency masking in the frequency range of the perception of Pacinian corpuscles does not show the characteristic masking curves observed in audition, where masking is strongly confined to the bandwidth of the critical band
The masking effect for lower frequencies than the masker declines only for frequencies lower than 100 Hz. This might be due to the relatively high masker levels considering the smaller dynamic range of WBV compared to audition, as high masker levels lead to asymmetric effects in the auditory domain as well
Summary
Whole-body vibration (WBV) is an integral part of everyday life. It occurs in numerous situations of professional and private life, e.g., at industrial sites, while moving in vehicles or during music events. Studies on the effect of WBV on occupational health have helped to drive technical development that has significantly reduced vibration and noise levels that humans experience in many situations today. The receptors involved in the perception of sound and WBV differ, research has shown many parallels between auditory and WBV perception. These findings lead to the implementation of similar experiment designs for both modalities. The description of tactile perception has been built on results of experiments using the thenar eminence [15,16] and index fingers [17] These results are the basis for predicting the perception of whole-body vibration. Hairy skin slightly differs in tactile perception from glabrous skin and the perception of WBV is influenced by a variety of additional factors both inter- and intra-individually, such as body size, body dynamics, posture, and gender [3]
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