The BMLD arises from subjects using channels where the masker’s interaural effect is reduced

Evidence

Robinson and Jeffress (1963) demonstrated this by varying the amount of correlation of the noise between two ears. They found a systematic increase in the release from masking as the correlation of the noise between the ears progressively decreased. Noise highly correlated between the ears (e.g., identical noises to the two ears) led to the largest masking effects, whereas uncorrelated noise between the ears afforded the largest release from masking. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1562 (#qualifies, via linked claim)

The BMLD is a well investigated phenomenon that signifies the reduction in masked thresholds when a tonal signal and masker have disparate interaural cues. For a diotic narrowband masker, a tonal target can be detected at a 25 dB lower level when the interaural target phase is changed from 0 to ∏ (e.g. van de Par and Kohlrausch 1999 ). This large BMLD can only be observed when masker and target are spectrally overlapping. Several studies have shown that the BMLD reduces to rather small values for off-frequency targets (e.g., van de Par et al. 2012 ). — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 3463 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Binaural masking level differences reach 25 dB only for overlapping masker and target — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 3463; Interaural noise correlation inversely drives the magnitude of binaural release from masking. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1562; BMLD as a threshold difference naturally cancels age-related processing efficiency losses. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 804

Related

• Binaural masking level differences reach 25 dB only for overlapping masker and target (similarity 0.93)
• Interaural phase disparities lower masked thresholds by up to 25 dB for overlapping targets (similarity 0.91)
• Interaural noise correlation inversely drives the magnitude of binaural release from masking. (similarity 0.90)
• Binaural phase disparities improve tone detection by up to 25 dB. (similarity 0.88)
• Binaural hearing yields up to 18 dB detection advantage for low-frequency signals (similarity 0.88)
• BMLD magnitude drops sharply when masker and signal share no frequency components (similarity 0.87)
• Binaural listening improves source audibility by 0–8 dB in multi-source scenes (similarity 0.87)
• Binaural masking release is 2 to 4 dB smaller in older listeners (similarity 0.86)
• Binaural masking-level difference measures hearing improvement from interaural stimulus asymmetries (similarity 0.86)
• BMLDs are smaller for older listeners by 2 to 4 dB (similarity 0.86)
• Reduced BMLD stems from masking effects, not from signal frequency or masker level (similarity 0.86)
• Binaural unmasking depends on masker duration but not signal duration (similarity 0.86)
• Reversing a tone’s phase in one ear lowers its detection threshold in noise (similarity 0.85)
• BMLD as a threshold difference naturally cancels age-related processing efficiency losses. (similarity 0.84)
• Older adults show smaller binaural masking level differences despite normal audiograms (similarity 0.84)

Broader Connections

• Interaural noise correlation inversely drives the magnitude of binaural release from masking. #qualifies (0.80) — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1562
• Binaural masking level differences reach 25 dB only for overlapping masker and target #expands (0.78) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 3463