Abstract
Critical ratios (CRs) and critical bands (CBs, measured by narrow-band masking) were determined in one and the same test-procedure in 9 housemice (Mus musculus). Two spectrum levels of white band-pass noise (0 dB, 20 dB) and 9 frequencies between 2 kHz and 60 kHz were tested. CBs and CRs follow generally the same frequency-dependent functions. At 2 kHz the width of CRs is significantly larger (p<0.01) than the width of CBs, at 15 kHz CRs are smaller than CBs (p<0.05). At all other frequencies no significant differences (p>0.05) appear. No individual animal tested had significantly larger or smaller CBs (p>0.05) throughout the frequency range than the others. Critical bands represent equidistant parts of about 1 mm on the basilar membrane of the mouse. The steepness of the slopes of the CB-forming filter is directly proportional to frequency in the range from 10 kHz to 50 kHz. The critical band related distribution of behaviorally measurable excitation along the basilar membrane of the mouse is shown for the tested range of noise bands and spectrum levels. Present results are in essential agreement with respective data for man.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Békésy,G.v.: Experiments in hearing. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company 1960
Ehret,G.: Age-dependent hearing loss in normal hearing mice. Naturwissenschaften 61, 506 (1974)
Ehret,G.: Masked auditory thresholds, critical ratios, and scales of the basilar membrane of the housemouse (Mus musculus). J. comp. Physiol. 103, 329–341 (1975)
Ehret,G.: Development of absolute auditory thresholds in the housemouse (Mus musculus). J. Amer. Audiol. Soc. 1, 179–184 (1976)
Fletcher,H.: Auditory patterns. Rev. Mod. Phys. 12, 47–65 (1940)
Gässler,G.: Über die Hörschwelle für Schallereignisse mit verschieden breitem Frequenzspektrum. Acustica 4, Acust. Beih. 1, 408–414 (1954)
Greenwood,D.D.: Auditory masking and the critical band. J. Acoust. Soc. Amer. 33, 484–502 (1961a)
Greenwood,D.D.: Critical bandwidth and the frequency coordinates of the basilar membrane. J. Acoust. Soc. Amer. 33, 1344–1356 (1961b)
Gourevitch,G.: Auditory masking in the rat. J. Acoust. Soc. Amer. 37, 439–443 (1965)
Gourevitch,G.: Detectability of tones in quiet and in noise by rats and monkeys. In: Animal psychophysics, Ed.: Stebbins,W.C. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts 1970
Hawkins,J.E., Stevens,S.S.: The masking of pure tones and of speech by white noise. J. Acoust. Soc. Amer. 22, 6–13 (1950)
Johnson,C.S.: Masked tonal thresholds in the bottlenosed porpoise. J. Acoust. Soc. Amer. 44, 965–967 (1968)
Kuhl,W., Schodder,G.R., Schröder,F.K.: Condenser transmitters and microphones with solid dielectrics for airborne ultrasonics. Acustica 4, 19–32 (1954)
Margolis,R.H., Small,A.M.: The measurement of critical masking bands. J. Speech Hearing Res. 18, 571–587 (1975)
Patterson,R.D.: Auditory filter shape. J. Acoust. Soc. Amer. 55, 802–809 (1974)
Sachs,L.: Angewandte Statistik. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer 1974
Schafer,T.H., Gales,R.S., Shewmaker,C.A., Thompson,P.O.: The frequency selectivity of the ear as determined by masking experiments. J. Acoust. Soc. Amer. 22, 490–496 (1950)
Scharf,B.: Complex sounds and critical bands. Psychol. Bull. 58, 205–217 (1961)
Scharf,B.: Critical bands. In: Foundations of modern auditory theory, Ed.: Tobias,J.V., New York-London: Academic Press 1970
Seaton,W.H., Trahiotis,C.: Comparison of critical ratios and critical bands in the monaural chinchilla. J. Acoust. Soc. Amer. 57, 193–199 (1975)
Swets,J.A., Green,D.M., Tanner,W.T.: On the width of critical bands. J. Acoust. Soc. Amer. 34, 108–113 (1962)
Terhune,J.M., Ronald,K.: Masked hearing thresholds of ringed seals. J. Acoust. Soc. Amer. 58, 515–516 (1975)
Watson,C.S.: Masking of tones by noise for the cat. J. Acoust. Soc. Amer. 35, 989–997 (1963)
Zwicker,E.: Die Grenzen der Hörbarkeit der Amplitudenmodulation und der Frequenzmodulation eines Tones. Acustica 2, Acust. Beih. 3, 125–133 (1952)
Zwicker,E.: Masking and psychological excitation as consequences of the ear's frequency analysis. In: Frequency analysis and periodicity detection in hearing. Eds.: Plomp,R., Smoorenburg,G.F., Leiden: A. W. Sijthoff 1970
Zwicker,E., Flottorp,G., Stevens,S.S.: Critical band width in loudness summation. J. Acoust. Soc. Amer. 29, 548–557 (1957)
Zwicker,E., Feldtkeller,R.: Das Ohr als Nachrichtenempfänger. Stuttgart: S. Hirzel 1967
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ehret, G. Critical bands and filter characteristics in the ear of the housemouse (Mus musculus). Biol. Cybernetics 24, 35–42 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00365592
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00365592