Masking patterns reveal the ear’s internal psychological representation of a sound.

Evidence

By fixing the noise masker and measuring the threshold of a tonal signal with a variable frequency, Egan and Hake were able to measure the amount of masking produced by that fixed stimulus as a function of signal frequency. We can consider the masking pattern as a psychological representation of an acoustic stimulus. In some ways, the masking pattern provides a picture of the internal psychological representation of the masker. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 465

By fixing the noise masker and measuring the threshold of a tonal signal with a variable frequency, Egan and Hake were able to measure the amount of masking produced by that fixed stimulus as a function of signal frequency. We can consider the masking pattern as a psychological representation of an acoustic stimulus. In some ways, the masking pattern provides a picture of the internal psychological representation of the masker. Egan and Hake measured these masking patterns for this narrowband noise presented at three different levels: 40, 60, and 80 dB SPL in order to determine if the internal representation of sound was altered by the presentation level. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 465

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the ‘masking pattern’ concept as a psychological representation of an acoustic stimulus — a core model the reader explicitly wants.
• XREF: Relates to the reader’s goal of understanding normal vs impaired hearing because masking patterns are measured differently (wider) in impaired ears — an internal-representation tool. — connects to: Masking experiments infer auditory representation from masker effects on signals. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 441; The physical structure of the ear itself shapes and constructs perceived sound — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 561; Auditory filters are analyzed one component at a time to build up complex effects (+8 more)
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 465

Broader Connections

• The physical structure of the ear itself shapes and constructs perceived sound #expands (0.85) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 561
• What the ear perceives can diverge from sound’s physical components. #corroborates (0.85) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1568
• The envelope of each auditory filter output is processed by a modulation filterbank #expands (0.80)
• Frequency-domain analysis mirrors how the human ear processes sound #expands (0.80) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 377
• Auditory filters are analyzed one component at a time to build up complex effects #expands (0.78)
• Masking noise prevents listeners from using unintended spectral cues #complicates (0.75)
• Barely masked tones alternate audibility near the masked threshold #exemplifies (0.75)
• Attention shapes what a listener perceives as loud in complex soundscapes #complicates (0.75)
• Increasing stimulus level broadens auditory filters and causes upward spread of masking #complicates (0.72)