Three acoustic properties determine whether a sound masks another.

Evidence

The main findings of psychophysical masking experiments quantify the effects of noise on the perception of sounds as well as measuring how different sounds are represented by the auditory system. A number of factors determine whether a sound has the capability of masking another sound: its intensity, its frequency content, and its temporal characteristics. Each of these properties will be discussed in turn. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 444

Categorization

• DEFINE: Frames the chapter’s organizing scheme: intensity, frequency content, and temporal characteristics as the masking determinants.