Informational masking in the modulation domain

J Acoust Soc Am. 2021 May;149(5):3665. doi: 10.1121/10.0005038.

Abstract

Uncertainty regarding the frequency spectrum of a masker can have an adverse effect on the ability to focus selective attention on a target frequency channel, yielding informational masking (IM). This study sought to determine if uncertainty regarding the modulation spectrum of a masker can have an analogous adverse effect on the ability to focus selective attention on a target modulation channel, yielding IM in the modulation domain, or "modulation IM." A single-interval, two-alternative forced-choice (yes-no) procedure was used. The task was to detect 32-Hz target sinusoidal amplitude modulation (SAM) imposed on a broadband-noise carrier in the presence of masker SAM imposed on the same carrier. Six maskers, spanning the range from 8 to 128 Hz in half-octave steps, were tested, excluding those that fell within a two-octave protected zone surrounding the target. Psychometric functions (d'-vs-target modulation depth) were measured for each masker under two conditions: a fixed (low-uncertainty/low-IM) condition, in which the masker was the same on all trials within a block, and a random (high-uncertainty/high-IM) condition, in which it varied randomly from presentation-to-presentation. Thresholds and slopes extracted from the psychometric functions differed markedly between the conditions. These results are consistent with the idea that IM occurs in the modulation domain.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Acoustic Stimulation
  • Attention*
  • Auditory Threshold
  • Perceptual Masking*
  • Psychometrics