Auditory Masking and the Critical Band in Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua)

Abstract

Auditory masking was determined for cod by using five half-octave bands as masking stimuli and as signals. For each of 15 cod, masking noise was kept constant at 10 db re 1 microbar in one band while thresholds were determined for signals in all five bands. Results indicate masking to be most pronounced when noise and signal coincide in frequency, and to drop off as frequency separation between noise and signal increases. Masking is calculated in terms of threshold in relation to masking noise level, and varies from about 11 db when signal and noise are in the same band to about −19 db when they are in bands furthest removed from each other. Estimates of critical bands are made from the results.