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Masking and Masking Release

Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience

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Definition

Masking has a technical definition of “the process … and the amount by which the threshold of hearing for one sound is raised by the presence of another (masking) sound” (ANSI 1994). Masking release does not have such an established definition, but refers to both the process and the amount by which masking is decreased by some manipulation of the masking or target sound.

Detailed Description

Masking is the process by which the presence of one sound makes another sound more difficult to hear. We all encounter masking in our everyday lives: when we fail to hear the phone ring while we are having a shower or when we struggle to follow a conversation in a noisy restaurant. In general, a more intense sound will mask a less intense sound, but masking also depends on the time and frequency relation between the sounds. In fact, much of the masking we encounter in everyday life can be explained in terms of processes that occur in the ear itself.

Origins of Masking

When sound enters...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Andrew J. Oxenham

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  1. Andrew J. Oxenham
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Correspondence to Andrew J. Oxenham .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Dieter Jaeger

  2. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA

    Ranu Jung

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Oxenham, A.J. (2014). Masking and Masking Release. In: Jaeger, D., Jung, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_432-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_432-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7320-6

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Masking and Masking Release
    Published:
    10 August 2019

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_432-2

  2. Original

    Masking and Masking Release
    Published:
    03 March 2014

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_432-1

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