Consequences of cochlear damage for the detection of interaural phase differences

Thresholds for detecting interaural phase differences (IPDs) in sinusoidally amplitude-modulated pure tones were measured in seven normal-hearing listeners and nine listeners with bilaterally symmetric hearing losses of cochlear origin. The IPDs were imposed either on the carrier signal alone-not the amplitude modulation-or vice versa. The carrier frequency was 250, 500, or 1000 Hz, the modulation frequency 20 or 50 Hz, and the sound pressure level was fixed at 75 dB. A three-interval two-alternative forced choice paradigm was used. For each type of IPD (carrier or modulation), thresholds were on average higher for the hearing-impaired than for the normal listeners. However, the impaired listeners' detection deficit was markedly larger for carrier IPDs than for modulation IPDs. This was not predictable from the effect of hearing loss on the sensation level of the stimuli since, for normal listeners, large reductions of sensation level appeared to be more deleterious to the detection of modulation IPDs than to the detection of carrier IPDs. The results support the idea that one consequence of cochlear damage is a deterioration in the perceptual sensitivity to the temporal fine structure of sounds.     

An analysis of quasi-frequency-modulated noise and random-sideband noise as comparisons for amplitude-modulated noise

Experiments were performed to determine under what conditions quasi-frequency-modulated (QFM) noise and random-sideband noise are suitable comparisons for AM noise in measuring a temporal modulation transfer function (TMTF). Thresholds were measured for discrimination of QFM from random-sideband noise and AM from QFM noise as a function of sideband separation. In the first experiment, the upper spectral edge of the noise stimuli was at 2400 Hz and the bandwidth was 1600 Hz. For sideband separations up to 256 Hz, at threshold sideband levels for discriminating AM from QFM noise, QFM was indiscriminable from random-sideband noise. For the largest sideband separation used (512 Hz), listeners may have used within-stimulus envelope correlation in the QFM noise to discriminate it from the random-sideband noise. Results when stimulus bandwidth was varied suggest that listeners were able to use this cue when the carrier was wider than a critical band, and the sideband separation approached the carrier bandwidth. Within-stimulus envelope correlation was also present in AM noise, and thus QFM noise was a suitable comparison because it made this cue unusable and forced listeners to use across-stimulus envelope differences. When the carrier bandwidth was less than a critical band or was wideband, QFM noise and random-sideband noise were equally suitable comparisons for AM noise. When discrimination thresholds for QFM and random-sideband noise were converted to modulation depth and modulation frequency, they were nearly identical to those for discrimination of AM from QFM noise, suggesting that listeners were using amplitude modulation cues in both cases.     

Effects of the use of personal music players on amplitude modulation detection and frequency discrimination

Measures of auditory performance were compared for an experimental group who listened regularly to music via personal music players (PMP) and a control group who did not. Absolute thresholds were similar for the two groups for frequencies up to 2 kHz, but the experimental group had slightly but significantly higher thresholds at higher frequencies. Thresholds for the frequency discrimination of pure tones were measured for a sensation level (SL) of 20 dB and center frequencies of 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 kHz. Thresholds were significantly higher (worse) for the experimental than for the control group for frequencies from 3 to 8 kHz, but not for lower frequencies. Thresholds for detecting sinusoidal amplitude modulation (AM) were measured for SLs of 10 and 20 dB, using four carrier frequencies 0.5, 3, 4, and 6 kHz, and three modulation frequencies 4, 16, and 50 Hz. Thresholds were significantly lower (better) for the experimental than for the control group for the 4- and 6-kHz carriers, but not for the other carriers. It is concluded that listening to music via PMP can have subtle effects on frequency discrimination and AM detection.     

The influence of spread of excitation on the detection of amplitude modulation imposed on sinusoidal carriers at high levels

The improvement in amplitude modulation (AM) detection thresholds with increasing level of a sinusoidal carrier has been attributed to listening on the high-frequency side of the excitation pattern, where the growth of excitation is more linear, or to an increase in the number of "channels" via spread of excitation. In the present study, AM detection thresholds were measured using a 1000-Hz sinusoidal carrier. Thresholds for modulation frequencies of 4-64 Hz improved by about 10-20 dB as the carrier level increased from 10 dB SL (14.5 dB SPL on average) to 80 dB SPL. To minimize the use of spread of excitation with an 80-dB carrier, tonal "restrictors" with frequencies of 501, 801, 1210, and 1510 Hz were used alone and in combination. High-frequency restrictors elevated AM detection thresholds, whereas low-frequency restrictors did not, indicating that excitation on the high side is more important for detecting AM. Results of modeling suggest that the improvement in AM detection thresholds at high levels is likely due to the use of a relatively linear growth of response on the high-frequency side of the excitation pattern.     

Noise improves modulation detection by cochlear implant listeners at moderate carrier levels

Envelope detection and processing are very important for cochlear implant (CI) listeners, who must rely on obtaining significant amounts of acoustic information from the time-varying envelopes of stimuli. In previous work, Chatterjee and Robert [JARO 2(2), 159-171 (2001)] reported on a stochastic-resonance-type effect in modulation detection by CI listeners: optimum levels of noise in the envelope enhanced modulation detection under certain conditions, particularly when the carrier level was low. The results of that study suggested that a low carrier level was sufficient to evoke the observed stochastic resonance effect, but did not clarify whether a low carrier level was necessary to evoke the effect. Modulation thresholds in CI listeners generally decrease with increasing carrier level. The experiments in this study were designed to investigate whether the observed noise-induced enhancement is related to the low carrier level per se, or to the poor modulation sensitivity that accompanies it. This was done by keeping the carrier amplitude fixed at a moderate level and increasing modulation frequency so that modulation sensitivity could be reduced without lowering carrier level. The results suggest that modulation sensitivity, not carrier level, is the primary factor determining the effect of the noise.     

Temporal integration in amplitude modulation detection

Thresholds for detecting sinusoidal amplitude modulation (AM) of a wideband noise carrier were measured as a function of the duration of the modulating signal. The carrier was either; (a) gated with a duration that exceeded the duration of modulation by the combined stimulus rise and fall times; (b) presented with a fixed duration that included a 500-ms carrier fringe preceding the onset of modulation; or (c) on continuously. In condition (a), the gated-carrier temporal modulation transfer functions (TMTFs) exhibited a bandpass characteristic. For AM frequencies above the individual subject's TMTF high-pass segment, the mean slope of the integration functions was - 7.46 dB per log unit duration. For the fringe and continuous-carrier conditions [(b) and (c)], the mean slopes of the integration functions were, respectively, - 9.30 and - 9.36 dB per log unit duration. Simulations based on integration of the output of an envelope detector approximate the results from the gated-carrier conditions. The more rapid rates of integration obtained in the fringe and continuous-carrier conditions may be due to "overintegration" where, at brief modulation durations, portions of the unmodulated carrier envelope are included in the integration of modulating signal energy.     

Discrimination of modulation depth of sinusoidal amplitude modulation (SAM) noise

The detection of sinusoidal amplitude modulation (SAM) provides a lower bound on the degree to which temporal information in the envelope of complex waveforms is encoded by the auditory system. The extent to which changes in the amount of modulation are discriminable provides additional information on the ability of the auditory system to utilize envelope fluctuations. Results from an experiment on the discrimination of modulation depth of broadband noise are presented. Discrimination thresholds, expressed as differences in modulation power, increase monotonically with the modulation depth of the standard, but do not obey Weber's law. The effects of carrier level and of modulation frequency are consistent with those observed in modulation detection: Changes in carrier level have little effect on modulation discrimination; changes in modulation frequency also have little effect except for standards near the modulation detection threshold. The discrimination of modulation depth is consistent with the leaky-integrator model of modulation detection for standards below--10 dB (20 log ms); for standards greater than--10 dB, the leaky integrator predicts better performance than that observed behaviorally.     

Second-order temporal modulation transfer functions

Detection thresholds were measured for a sinusoidal modulation applied to the modulation depth of a sinusoidally amplitude-modulated (SAM) white noise carrier as a function of the frequency of the modulation applied to the modulation depth (referred to as f'm). The SAM noise acted therefore as a "carrier" stimulus of frequency fm, and sinusoidal modulation of the SAM-noise modulation depth generated two additional components in the modulation spectrum: fm-f'm and fm+f'm. The tracking variable was the modulation depth of the sinusoidal variation applied to the "carrier" modulation depth. The resulting "second-order" temporal modulation transfer functions (TMTFs) measured on four listeners for "carrier" modulation frequencies fm of 16, 64, and 256 Hz display a low-pass segment followed by a plateau. This indicates that sensitivity to fluctuations in the strength of amplitude modulation is best for fluctuation rates f'm below about 2-4 Hz when using broadband noise carriers. Measurements of masked modulation detection thresholds for the lower and upper modulation sideband suggest that this capacity is possibly related to the detection of a beat in the sound's temporal envelope. The results appear qualitatively consistent with the predictions of an envelope detector model consisting of a low-pass filtering stage followed by a decision stage. Unlike listeners' performance, a modulation filterbank model using Q values > or = 2 should predict that second-order modulation detection thresholds should decrease at high values of f'm due to the spectral resolution of the modulation sidebands (in the modulation domain). This suggests that, if such modulation filters do exist, their selectivity is poor. In the latter case, the Q value of modulation filters would have to be less than 2. This estimate of modulation filter selectivity is consistent with the results of a previous study using a modulation-masking paradigm [S. D. Ewert and T. Dau, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 108, 1181-1196 (2000)].     

Across-channel interference in intensity discrimination: the role of practice and listening strategy

Pure tone intensity discrimination thresholds can be elevated by the introduction of remote maskers with roved level. This effect is on the order of 10 dB [10 log(DeltaII)] in some conditions and can be demonstrated under conditions of little or no energetic masking. The current study examined the effect of practice and observer strategy on this phenomenon. Experiment 1 included observers who had no formal experience with intensity discrimination and provided training over 6 h on a single masked intensity discrimination task to assess learning effects. Thresholds fell with practice for most observers, with significant improvements in six out of eight cases. Despite these improvements significant masking remained in all cases. The second experiment assessed trial-by-trial effects of roved masker level. Conditional probability of a "signal-present" response as a function of the rove value assigned to each of the two masker tones indicates fundamental differences among observers' processing strategies, even after 6 h of practice. The variability in error patterns across practiced listeners suggests that observers approach the task differently, though this variability does not appear to be related to sensitivity.     

Detection of temporal gaps in bandlimited noise: effects of variations in bandwidth and signal-to-masker ratio

Thresholds were measured for the detection of a temporal gap in a bandlimited noise signal presented in a continuous wideband masker, using an adaptive forced-choice procedure. In experiment I the ratio of signal spectrum level to masker spectrum level (the SMR) was fixed at 10 dB and gap thresholds were measured as a function of signal bandwidth at three center frequencies: 0.4, 1.0, and 6.5 kHz. Performance improved with increasing bandwidth and increasing center frequency. For a subset of conditions, gap threshold was also measured as bandwidth was varied keeping the upper cutoff frequency of the signal constant. In this case the variation of gap threshold with bandwidth was more gradual, suggesting that subjects detect the gap using primarily the highest frequency region available in the signal. At low center frequencies, however, subjects may have a limited ability to combine information in different frequency regions. In experiment II gap thresholds were measured as a function of SMR for several signal bandwidths at each of three center frequencies: 0.5, 1.0, and 6.5 kHz. Gap thresholds improved with increasing SMR, but the improvement was minimal for SMRs greater than 12-15 dB. The results are used to evaluate the relative importance of factors influencing gap threshold.     

海面动态波动引起的船舶辐射噪声线谱伴随调制特性

针对海上实验发现的船舶辐射噪声载波线谱两侧对称出现伴随线谱现象,建立了基于抛物方程近似理论的动态起伏海面条件下连续波信号传播预报模型,揭示了海面风速、收发距离、声源深度等因素对伴随调制线谱频率间隔和强度的影响规律。数值仿真结果表明,伴随调制线谱与其载波线谱的频率间隔由具有稳定频率的海面涌浪决定;伴随调制线谱强度随海面风速增大而增大;不同收发距离和声源深度等条件下伴随调制线谱强度随距离的变化趋势与其载波线谱强度基本一致,近水面（平均深度3 m以内）声源上移和下移伴随调制线谱能量大致相当,比载波线谱能量低约10 dB;除了载波传播损失大的深度外,非近水面声源上移和下移伴随调制线谱强度能量相差较大,比载波线谱能量整体上低约20 dB以上。对海上实测水面船辐射噪声数据进行长时间窗时频分析表明,上移和下移频率伴随调制线谱与载波线谱的间隔为0.1 Hz左右,伴随调制线谱强度与载波线谱强度相差约10 dB,与仿真分析结果一致。海面动态波动引起的船舶辐射噪声线谱伴随调制特性对水中目标特征识别等具有重要价值。      

External and internal limitations in amplitude-modulation processing

Three experiments are presented to explore the relative role of "external" signal variability and "internal" resolution limitations of the auditory system in the detection and discrimination of amplitude modulations (AM). In the first experiment, AM-depth discrimination performance was determined using sinusoidally modulated broadband-noise and pure-tone carriers. The AM index, m, of the standard ranged from -28 to -3 dB (expressed as 20 log m). AM-depth discrimination thresholds were found to be a fraction of the AM depth of the standard for standards down to -18 dB, in the case of the pure-tone carrier, and down to -8 dB, in the case of the broadband-noise carrier. For smaller standards, AM-depth discrimination required a fixed increase in AM depth, independent of the AM depth of the standard. In the second experiment, AM-detection thresholds were obtained for signal-modulation frequencies of 4, 16, 64, and 256 Hz, applied to either a band-limited random-noise carrier or a deterministic ("frozen") noise carrier, as a function of carrier bandwidth (8 to 2048 Hz). In general, detection thresholds were higher for the random- than for the frozen-noise carriers. For both carrier types, thresholds followed the pattern expected from frequency-selective processing of the stimulus envelope. The third experiment investigated AM masking at 4, 16, and 64 Hz in the presence of a narrow-band masker modulation. The variability of the masker was changed from entirely frozen to entirely random, while the long-term average envelope power spectrum was held constant. The experiment examined the validity of a long-term average quantity as the decision variable, and the role of memory in experiments with frozen-noise maskers. The empirical results were compared to predictions obtained with two modulation-filterbank models. The predictions revealed that AM-depth discrimination and AM detection are limited by a combination of the external signal variability and an internal "Weber-fraction" noise process.     

Categorical dependence of vowel detection in long-term speech-shaped noise

The goal of this study was to measure detection thresholds for 12 isolated American English vowels naturally spoken by three male and three female talkers for young normal-hearing listeners in the presence of a long-term speech-shaped (LTSS) noise, which was presented at 70 dB sound pressure level. The vowel duration was equalized to 170 ms and the spectrum of the LTSS noise was identical to the long-term average spectrum of 12-talker babble. Given the same duration, detection thresholds for vowels differed by 19 dB across the 72 vowels. Thresholds for vowel detection showed a roughly U-shaped pattern as a function of the vowel category across talkers with lowest thresholds at /i/ and /ae/ vowels and highest thresholds at /u/ vowel in general. Both vowel category and talker had a significant effect on vowel detectability. Detection thresholds predicted from three excitation pattern metrics by using a simulation model were well matched with thresholds obtained from human listeners, suggesting that listeners could use a constant metric in the excitation pattern of the vowel to detect the signal in noise independent of the vowel category and talker. Application of the simulation model to predict thresholds of vowel detection in noise was also discussed.     

Effects of envelope shape on interaural envelope delay sensitivity in acoustic and electric hearing

The envelope shape is important for the perception of interaural time difference (ITD) in the envelope as supported by the improved sensitivity for transposed tones compared to sinusoidally amplitude-modulated (SAM) tones. The present study investigated the effects of specific envelope parameters in nine normal-hearing (NH) and seven cochlear-implant (CI) listeners, using high-rate carriers with 27-Hz trapezoidal modulation. In NH listeners, increasing the off time (the silent interval in each modulation cycle) up to 12 ms, increasing the envelope slope from 6 to 8 dB/ms, and increasing the peak level improved ITD sensitivity. The combined effect of the off time and slope accounts for the gain in sensitivity for transposed tones relative to SAM tones. In CI listeners, increasing the off time up to 20 ms improved sensitivity, but increasing the slope showed no systematic effect. A 27-pulses/s electric pulse train, representing a special case of modulation with infinitely steep slopes and maximum possible off time, yielded considerably higher sensitivity compared to the best condition with trapezoidal modulation. Overall, the results of this study indicate that envelope-ITD sensitivity could be improved by using CI processing schemes that simultaneously increase the off time and the peak level of the signal envelope.     

Detection of modulation of a 4-kHz carrier

To better understand the processing of complex high-frequency sounds, modulation-detection thresholds were measured for sinusoidal frequency modulation (SFM), quasi-frequency modulation (QFM), sinusoidal amplitude modulation (SAM), and random-phase FM (RPFM). At the lowest modulation frequency (5 Hz) modulation thresholds expressed as AM depth were similar for RPFM, SAM and QFM suggesting the predominance of envelope cues. At the higher modulation frequencies (20 and 40 Hz) thresholds expressed as total frequency excursions were similar for SFM and QFM suggesting a common mechanism, one perhaps based on single-channel FM-to-AM conversion or on a multi-channel place mechanism. The fact that the nominal envelopes of SFM and QFM are different (SFM has a flat envelope), seems to preclude processing based on the envelope of the external stimulus. Also, given the 4-kHz carrier and the similarity to previously published results obtained with a 1-kHz carrier, processing based on temporally-coded fine structure for all four types of modulation appears unlikely.     

Observer weighting of monaural level information in a pair of tone pulses

A correlational analysis was used to assess the relative weight given to the levels of two monaurally presented tone pulses for interpulse intervals (IPIs) ranging from 2-256 ms. In three different experimental conditions, listeners were instructed to discriminate the level of the first pulse, the level of the second pulse, or the difference between the levels of the two pulses. The level of the target pulse was chosen randomly and independently from trial to trial from a Gaussian distribution. The level of the nontarget pulse was either fixed at 75 dB SPL or varied in the same manner as the level of the target. In the tasks in which one pulse was to be ignored, listeners gave increasing weight to the nontarget component as IPI decreased. Listeners weighted the level information in the pulses appropriately only when the IPI approached 256 ms. When the listeners were instructed to compare the pulse levels to one another, two of three listeners weighted the levels optimally at all IPIs, while the third listener did so only at the longest IPI. For the two listeners who weighted the pulses optimally, a minimum in performance was achieved at IPIs around 16-32 ms. Intensity discrimination thresholds were also measured for one pulse in the presence of a second fixed pulse for IPIs of 2-256 ms. Thresholds were higher in all the two-pulse conditions relative to a one-pulse condition, and were dependent on the level of the nontarget pulse but not on IPI. The results indicate that level information is integrated to some extent over fairly long durations, but not in a manner that is consistent with simple temporal integration.     

Forward masking: adaptation or integration?

The aim of this study was to attempt to distinguish between neural adaptation and persistence (or temporal integration) as possible explanations of forward masking. Thresholds were measured for a sinusoidal signal as a function of signal duration for conditions where the delay between the masker offset and the signal offset (the offset-offset interval) was fixed. The masker was a 200-ms broadband noise, presented at a spectrum level of 40 dB (re: 20 microPa), and the signal was a 4-kHz sinusoid, gated with 2-ms ramps. The offset-offset interval was fixed at various durations between 4 and 102 ms and signal thresholds were measured for a range of signal durations at each interval. A substantial decrease in thresholds was observed with increasing duration for signal durations up to about 20 ms. At short offset-offset intervals, the amount of temporal integration exceeded that normally found in quiet. The results were simulated using models of temporal integration (the temporal-window model) and adaptation. For both models, the inclusion of a peripheral nonlinearity, similar to that observed physiologically in studies of the basilar membrane, was essential in producing a good fit to the data. Both models were about equally successful in accounting for the present data. However, the temporal-window model provided a somewhat better account of similar data from a simultaneous-masking experiment, using the same parameters. This suggests that the linear, time-invariant properties of the temporal-window approach are appropriate for modeling forward masking. Overall the results confirm that forward masking can be described in terms of peripheral nonlinearity followed by linear temporal integration at higher levels in the auditory system. However, the difference in predictions between the adaptation and integration models is relatively small, meaning that influence of adaptation cannot be ruled out.     

Differences in auditory performance between monaural and dichotic conditions. I: masking thresholds in frozen noise.

Thresholds of a 5-ms, 1-kHz signal were determined in the presence of a frozen-noise masker. The noise had a flat power spectrum between 20 Hz and 5 kHz and was presented with a duration of 300 ms. The following interaural conditions were tested with four listeners: Noise and signal monaural at the same ear (monaural condition, NmSm), noise and signal identical at both ears (diotic condition, NoSo), noise identical at both ears and signal monaural (dichotic condition, NoSm) and uncorrelated noise at the two ears and signal monaural (NuSm). The signal was presented at a fixed temporal position with respect to the frozen noise in all measurements and thresholds were determined for different starting phases of the carrier frequency of the signal. Variation of the carrier phase strongly influenced the detection in the diotic condition and the masked thresholds varied by more than 10 dB. The pattern of thresholds for the monaural condition was less variable and the thresholds were generally higher than for the diotic condition. The monaural-diotic difference for specific starting phases amounted to as much as 8 dB. Comparison measurements using running noise maskers revealed no such difference. This relation between monaural and diotic thresholds was further investigated with eight additional subjects. Again, monaural and diotic thresholds in running noise were identical, while in frozen noise, diotic thresholds were consistently lower than monaural thresholds, even when the ear with the lower NmSm threshold was compared. For the starting phase showing the largest monaural-diotic difference, the thresholds for NoSm lay between the monaural and the diotic values. At other starting phases, the NoSm threshold was clearly lower than both the NmSm and the NoSo threshold. One possible explanation of the observed monaural-diotic differences relates to contralateral efferent interaction between the right and the left hearing pathway. A prediction based on this explanation was verified in a final experiment, where frozen-noise performance for NmSm was improved by simultaneously presenting an uncorrelated running noise to the opposite ear.     

Discrimination of interaural envelope correlation and its relation to binaural unmasking at high frequencies.

Listeners' sensitivity to interaural correlation of the envelope of high-frequency waveforms and whether such sensitivity might account for detectability in a masking-level difference paradigm were assessed. Thresholds of interaural envelope decorrelation (from a reference correlation of 1.0) were measured for bands of noise centered at 4 kHz and bandwidths ranging from 50-1600 Hz. Decorrelation of the envelope was achieved by "mixing" two independent narrow-band noises. Separately, with the same listeners, NoSo and NoS pi detection thresholds were measured for maskers of the same center frequency and bandwidths. For bandwidths of noise up to about 400 Hz, listeners were similarly sensitive to interaural decorrelation in both types of task. However, for bandwidths greater than 400 Hz or so, while sensitivity in the discrimination task was unaffected, sensitivity was reduced in the NoS pi conditions. Additional data suggested that listeners were able to maintain their sensitivity independent of bandwidth in the discrimination task by focusing on binaural information within select spectral regions of the stimuli.     

A new technique for measuring spectral shape discrimination.

A new technique is described for studying the ability of listeners to discriminate between sounds on the basis of spectral shape, a process called "auditory profile analysis." The advantage of the technique is that it reduces the range of the random rove in level necessary to provide a specified limit on the performance which listeners could achieve by "level detection;" that is, by employing a detection strategy based solely on comparisons of stimulus level. Thresholds were measured for the just-discriminable "ripple" (a pattern of alternating intensity increments and decrements) in an equal-amplitude, multitone reference spectrum for a group of normal-hearing listeners. Broadband, high-pass and low-pass filtered conditions were tested. The results indicated that the thresholds obtained using the new technique were well below the lowest level achievable by level detection (referred to as the "level-detection limit") in all conditions using a 20-dB random within-trial rove in overall level. The lowest threshold occurred for the broadband stimulus while the highest threshold was observed for the most extreme high-pass filtered condition. The new technique appears to be well-suited for study of profile analysis in hearing-impaired listeners where stimulus bandwidth and rove range are limited.