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Discrimination of sound signals with rippled spectra in on- and low-frequency noise: contribution of compressive nonlinearity and confounding issues

© 2018 O.N. Milekhina, D.I. Nechaev, A.Ya. Supin

Institute of Ecology and Evolution of RAS 119071 Moscow, Leninsky prospect,33

Received 20 Jul 2017

Rippled-spectrum discrimination in simultaneous noise was investigated. The signal was band-limited (0.5 oct at a –6-dB level) rippled noise centered at 2 kHz, with a ripple density of 3.5 oct–1. The ripple pattern discrimination was assessed using a ripple phase reversal test. The noise (masker) was band-limited nonrippled noise centered at either 2 kHz (on-frequency masker) or 1 kHz (low-frequency masker). The masker was simultaneously presented with the signal. Masker levels at threshold were measured as a function of the signal level using the adaptive (staircase) two- alternative forced-choice procedure. For the on-frequency masker, the searched-for function had a slope of 0.98 dB/dB. For the low-frequency masker, the function had a slope of 1.19 dB/dB within a signal level range of 30 to 40 dB SPL and as low as 0.15 dB/dB within a signal level range of 70 to 80 dB SPL. These results were interpreted as indicating compression of responses to both the signal and on-frequency masker and no compression of the effect of the low- frequency masker. The possible roles of confounding effects (the lateral suppression and off-frequency listening) are considered. In conditions when above-threshold signals are discriminated in simultaneous noise (the masker), cochlear compression manifests to a substantial degree.

Key words: hearing, compression, masking, rippled noise

DOI: 10.7868/S0235009218020063

Cite: Milekhina O. N., Nechaev D. I., Supin A. Ya. Razlichenie zvukovykh signalov s grebenchatymi spektrami na fone izochastotnogo i nizkochastotnogo shumov: rol kompressivnoi nelineinosti i soputstvuyushchikh faktorov [Discrimination of sound signals with rippled spectra in on- and low-frequency noise: contribution of compressive nonlinearity and confounding issues]. Sensornye sistemy [Sensory systems]. 2018. V. 32(2). P. 161-168 (in Russian). doi: 10.7868/S0235009218020063

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