Auditory masking: need for improved conceptual structure

Even in simpler times, some people (e.g., Tanner) found it useful to ask "What is masking?" Independent of the extent to which this question was adequately answered even in those times, it is clear that the current expanded interest in central auditory processing has raised this question anew. In this note, comments are made about masking-related issues that illustrate the kinds of questions that need to be considered in attempting to develop a conceptual structure that can be effectively used to define, classify, study, and model auditory masking.