Relations among temporal resolution, forward masking, and simultaneous masking

The data from this investigation suggest that both temporal resolution and forward masking are the products of a single underlying mechanism of auditory persistence. Persistence of auditory activity from a burst of noise not only limits the listener’s ability to perceive a trailing noise burst as temporally separate (temporal resolution), but also interferes with his detection of a click that follows the burst of noise (forward masking). After a relatively stable initial period of about 2.5 msec, the magnitude of this persisting residual activity decays linearly over log time, as evidenced by the progressive reduction in the level of both the trailing noise burst in temporal resolution and the click threshold in forward masking. The data also indicate that forward masking of the click bears the same relationship to masker level as does simultaneous masking of the click. The mechanisms of forward masking may be essentially the same as those for simultaneous masking, except that for the former the masking process is a residue that persists from prior stimulation. Subject Classification: 65.58, 65.75.