Effects of forward and simultaneous masking on intensity discrimination

Experiments on intensity discrimination determine the size of the smallest detectable increment added to a fixed pedestal. This paper examines the effects of a masker which either precedes the pedestal (forward masking) or is simultaneous with the pedestal. The increment and pedestal were 1-kHz tones masked in forward masking by pure tones and in simultaneous masking by a broadband noise. Simultaneous masking by the broadband noise eliminates the “near miss” to Weber's law, and thus degrades intensity discrimination at high pedestal levels. Forward masking by the pure tone also degrades intensity discrimination, which may, in part, be explained by the elimination of the near miss. However, the effect on intensity discrimination in some cases is greater in forward than in simultaneous masking, suggesting that some additional process (e.g., adaptation) is involved.