Sensorineural hearing loss worsens masking beyond mere threshold elevation

Evidence

A variety of different stimuli can mask other stimuli. The relationship between the frequencies, intensity, and fluctuations of the masker and the signal being detected are important. Higher-intensity maskers with frequencies near the signal have the greatest effect in elevating the signal’s threshold. Upward spread of masking also increases as stimulus intensity increases. Listeners with normal hearing receive a release from masking when makers fluctuate, as they can rely on brief temporal epochs with high signal-to-noise ratios in order to detect signals or identify speech sounds. Hearing loss greatly impacts masking, with listeners experiencing greater masking effects, increased upward spread of masking, and a reduction in the fluctuating masker benefit. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 594

The precedence works in concert with binaural unmasking and reduces the impact that echoes have on perception. Listeners with SNHL can have deficits in any or all of these abilities, and substantial variability is present in this population. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1594

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s interest in normal-vs-impaired hearing perception differences central to this book’s goal.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 594; Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1594