Hawkins and Stevens measured broadband-noise masking of pure tones across eight masker levels.

Evidence

Hawkins and Stevens (1950) reported a very simple but elegant study that addressed portions of these two questions. Their experiment measured the masking produced by a broadband noise (100 to 9000 Hz) on the detection of pure-tone stimuli with various frequencies. They tested eight different masker levels, ranging from −10 to 60 dB SPL. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 449

Categorization

• DEFINE: Classic 1950 result anchoring quantitative masking data; foundational for subsequent masking models.