Temporal masking-level differences: the effect of mask duration.
Psychometric functions were obatained for the interaural conditions NoSo and NoSπ in both forward and backward masking using masks of different durations. In addition, data were collected for the Sm, Sπ and So conditions without an external mask. The slope parameter k and the signal level required for 76% correct detection were computed with a least‐squares technique. The results were that both temporal masking and temporal masking‐level differences (MLDs) increased monotonically with longer mask durations. This mask‐duration effect was more pronounced for forward masking than for backward masking. Without an external mask, the signal was about 3 dB more detectable in the So configuration than in the Sπ configuration, and it was about 4 dB more detectabe in the Sπ configuration than in the Sm configuration. The psychometric functions were generally steeper for the NoSπ condition than for the NoSo condition in forward masking, but not in backward masking. They were also steeper for the Sπ condition than fo...
Note on psychometric invariance of detection functions.
The invariance that may be found to exist among monaural and antiphasic binaural psychometric functions is briefly reexamined and evidence is presented that is consistent with earlier findings—monaural and antiphasic psychometric functions differ by only a multiplicative factor.
Backward Masking: Monotic and Dichotic Conditions
“Backward masking” is the term used to denote the situation in which one auditory stimulus is masked by another auditory stimulus which follows it in time while in “forward masking” the temporal positions of masking and masked signals are reversed. In this study, backward and forward masking were investigated for both monotic and dichotic conditions using white noise as the masking signal and a 1000‐cps probe signal. Results indicate that monotic backward masking occurs over intervals up to 50 msec while, for the dichotic condition, backward masking occurs for intervals as long as 15 msec. Less monotic forward masking is obtained for brief masking intervals and very little dichotic forward masking is observed. These findings are considered in relationship to other experimental results.