Critical bandwidth is measured through masking effects rather than direct perception
Evidence
The change in critical bandwidth with frequency can be demonstrated if the fixed frequency F1 in Figure 2.7 is altered to a new value and the new position of CB is found. In practice, critical bandwidth is usually measured by an effect known as “masking” (see Chapter 5), in which the “rather abrupt change” is more clearly perceived by listeners. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 585
Categorization
- DEFINE: Clarifies how critical bandwidth is operationalized in practice via masking rather than direct measurement.
- XREF: Connects to Chapter 5 of this same book on masking, a foundational psychoacoustics concept the reader is building toward. — connects to: Fletcher defined critical bands as noise regions whose power equals a just-masked tone’s — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 865; Critical bandwidth at 2 kHz center frequency is 300 hertz; The critical-band-rate scale mirrors hearing better than raw frequency (+4 more)
- corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 585
Broader Connections
- Masking experiments infer auditory representation from masker effects on signals.
#corroborates(0.90) — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 441