Temporal interactions between pure tones and amplitude-modulated noise. 1985

G H Wakefield, and N F Viemeister

An auditory interaction between the temporal fine structure of a low-frequency tone and the envelope of a high-frequency waveform was observed at very large frequency separations. Thresholds for detection of sinusoidal amplitude modulation of a high-frequency, narrow-band noise were measured as a function of the relative phase between the modulator and a pure tone with the same frequency as the modulator. These "phase functions" were determined at various intensities of the noise and tone for three different modulation frequencies. In general, the phase functions show that low-frequency stimulation has a cyclic effect on the sensitivity to amplitude modulation; over a limited range of relative phases, the modulation threshold is lower than that measured without low-frequency stimulation whereas over a broader range of relative phases, the modulation threshold is much higher. The difference between minimum and maximum modulation thresholds was observed to be as great as 23 dB. Despite this substantial degree of temporal interaction, little, if any, masking by the low-frequency tone of the high-frequency noise was observed.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009622 Noise Any sound which is unwanted or interferes with HEARING other sounds. Noise Pollution,Noises,Pollution, Noise
D010470 Perceptual Masking The interference of one perceptual stimulus with another causing a decrease or lessening in perceptual effectiveness. Masking, Perceptual,Maskings, Perceptual,Perceptual Maskings
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000161 Acoustic Stimulation Use of sound to elicit a response in the nervous system. Auditory Stimulation,Stimulation, Acoustic,Stimulation, Auditory
D001307 Auditory Perception The process whereby auditory stimuli are selected, organized, and interpreted by the organism. Auditory Processing,Perception, Auditory,Processing, Auditory
D013997 Time Factors Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations. Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor

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