Loudness Summation under Masking

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Abstract
The loudness of four-tone complexes centered at 250, 2000, and 4000 cps was measured as a function of the over-all spacing, [DELTA] F, of the components, both in the quiet and against various levels of a uniform masking noise. When the masking noise was held at a constant level, the loudness of the complex increased more with [DELTA] F at moderate sensation levels[long dash]between about 30 and 60 db[long dash]than at either higher or lower levels. Near the masked as well as the absolute threshold, the loudness decreased as [DELTA]F was increased beyond the critical band width. Only when [DELTA] F was less than a critical band, was loudness independent of [DELTA] F and was the amount of loudness summation invariant with level. These results support the hypothesis that the amount of loudness summa-tion depends upon the slope of the loudness functions for the individual critical bands that form the complex.

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