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Electrophysiological Correlates of Intensity Resolution Under Forward Masking

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The Neurophysiological Bases of Auditory Perception

Abstract

Nonsimultaneous masking can severely impair auditory intensity resolution, but the effect strongly depends on the stimulus configuration. For example, an intense forward masker causes a pronounced impairment in intensity resolution for standards presented at intermediate levels, but not for standards presented at low and high levels, resulting in a midlevel hump pattern (Zeng et al., Hear Res 55:223-230, 1991). Several aspects of the phenomenon cannot be explained by mechanisms in the auditory periphery. For instance, backward maskers cause midlevel humps at least as large as the humps caused by forward maskers. The present experiment was aimed at studying the relation between the effects of forward maskers on intensity resolution and on the slow components N1 and P2 of the auditory evoked potential. The EEG was recorded while listeners performed a one-interval intensity discrimination task in quiet and under forward masking. The 90-dB SPL masker caused a stronger reduction in sensitivity for a 60-dB SPL than for a 30-dB SPL standard, reflecting the midlevel hump. The effect of the masker on the N1 and the P2 amplitude paralleled the behavioral effects. The amplitude reduction caused by the masker was stronger for the 60-dB SPL than for the 30-dB SPL standard, thus also following a midlevel hump pattern. Listeners who showed a strong N1 midlevel hump tended to also exhibit a strong midlevel hump in sensitivity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, 55099, Mainz, Germany

    Daniel Oberfeld

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  1. Daniel Oberfeld
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Correspondence to Daniel Oberfeld .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Inst. Neurociencias de Castilla y León, Universidad de Salamanca, Av. Alfonso X El Sabio s/n, Salamanca, 37007, Spain

    Enrique A. Lopez-Poveda

  2. MRC Inst.of Hearing Research, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom

    Alan R. Palmer

  3. University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex, CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom

    Ray Meddis

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Oberfeld, D. (2010). Electrophysiological Correlates of Intensity Resolution Under Forward Masking. In: Lopez-Poveda, E., Palmer, A., Meddis, R. (eds) The Neurophysiological Bases of Auditory Perception. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5686-6_10

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