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An Energetic Limit on Spatial Release from Masking

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Abstract

This study tested the hypothesis that energetic masking limits the benefits obtained from spatial separation in multiple-talker listening situations, particularly for listeners with sensorineural hearing loss. A speech target was presented simultaneously with two or four speech maskers. The target was always presented diotically, and the maskers were either presented diotically or dichotically. In dichotic configurations, the maskers were symmetrically placed by introducing interaural time differences (ITDs) or infinitely large interaural level differences (ILDs; monaural presentation). Target-to-masker ratios for 50 % correct were estimated. Thresholds in all separated conditions were poorer in listeners with hearing loss than listeners with normal hearing. Moreover, for a given listener, thresholds were similar for conditions with the same number of talkers per ear (e.g., ILD with four talkers equivalent to ITD with two talkers) and hence the same energetic masking. The results are consistent with the idea that increased energetic masking, rather than a specific spatial deficit, may limit performance for hearing-impaired listeners in spatialized speech mixtures.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from NIH/NIDCD and AFOSR.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences and Hearing Research Center, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Virginia Best, Eric R. Thompson, Christine R. Mason & Gerald Kidd Jr

  2. National Acoustic Laboratories, 16 University Ave, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2019, Australia

    Virginia Best

  3. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation, Fairborn, OH, 45324, USA

    Eric R. Thompson

Authors
  1. Virginia Best
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  2. Eric R. Thompson
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  3. Christine R. Mason
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  4. Gerald Kidd Jr
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Virginia Best.

Additional information

Portions of this work were presented at the Association for Research in Otolaryngology MidWinter Meeting, San Diego, February 2012.

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Best, V., Thompson, E.R., Mason, C.R. et al. An Energetic Limit on Spatial Release from Masking. JARO 14, 603–610 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10162-013-0392-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10162-013-0392-1

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