Impaired frequency selectivity, suppression, and fluctuation use jointly degrade hearing

Evidence

Taken together, we see that listeners with hearing loss experience a reduction in frequency selectivity, a greater susceptibility to masking, and reduced effects of two-tone suppression compared with listeners with normal hearing. Impaired frequency selectivity directly contributes to a reduced representation of the spectrum and leads to the greater susceptibility to masking. Loss of two-tone suppression also reduces the representation of spectral contrast, and the inability to take advantage of stimulus fluctuations significantly degrades the ability to detect and understand sounds in a variety of noisy environments. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 579