Masker peaks at rarefaction produce maximal masking of short tone bursts

Evidence

For the twice-integrated Gaussian impulses (Fig. 4.34a), almost no masking occurs during the first half of the period although a masker level as high as 140 dB is used, but a very distinct maximum appean; in the second (rarefaction) half. Indeed, the maximum coincides with the minimum of the masker’s time function, i.e. with the peak value of the rarefaction. — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 583

Categorization

Category: Factual Claims

• QUESTION: Why does rarefaction specifically drive masking sharpness at low frequencies — is this linked to basilar-membrane asymmetry?

Related

• Rarefaction, not masker level, drives the audibility threshold maximum (similarity 0.90)
• Low-frequency maskers mask most during their rarefaction phase (similarity 0.88)
• Positive second derivative of masker drives low-frequency masking-period patterns (similarity 0.83)
• Low-frequency rarefaction impulses completely suppress evoked emissions (similarity 0.83)
• Two simultaneous maskers partition the spectrum where each dominates (similarity 0.83)
• Equal-level narrow-band maskers mask less at higher centre frequencies (similarity 0.82)
• Masking pattern shapes differ by center frequency even at equal masker level (similarity 0.82)
• The minimum masker excitation within its modulation cycle sets masked threshold (similarity 0.82)
• Noise-burst masked thresholds rise more gradually than tone-burst thresholds with shorter duration (similarity 0.81)
• Increasing stimulus level broadens auditory filters and causes upward spread of masking (similarity 0.81)
• Two equal-level talkers yield a global SNR about 11 dB below each single masker (similarity 0.81)
• Pure-tone versus noise masking differences depend on masker frequency (similarity 0.81)
• Test bursts stay within an eighth of the low-frequency masker’s period (similarity 0.81)
• Louder maskers increasingly mask high frequencies over low ones. (similarity 0.80)
• Masked-threshold shape is nonlinear and level-dependent, steepening only at low masker levels. (similarity 0.80)