PERCEPTUAL MASKING Meaning and
Definition
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Perceptual masking refers to the phenomenon in which the perception of one sound is influenced or impaired by the presence of another sound. It occurs when the presence of a certain sound, known as the masker, affects the perception or detection of another sound, known as the target, usually of lower intensity or frequency.
In the auditory domain, perceptual masking occurs due to the limited processing capacity of the human auditory system. The masker can make it harder for the listener to detect, identify, or discriminate the target sound by either completely masking or partially covering its presence. This can happen because the masker sound may overlap in time and frequency with the target sound, making it less salient or more difficult to segregate from the background.
Perceptual masking can take place in various auditory contexts, such as speech perception, music listening, or sound recognition. It can have significant implications for understanding speech in noisy environments, music arrangement and mixing, or hearing impairment evaluation.
To study perceptual masking, researchers employ techniques like psychoacoustic experiments, where listeners are asked to detect or discriminate the presence of a target sound in the presence of a masker. These studies help in understanding the mechanisms of auditory perception and developing strategies to mitigate the negative effects of perceptual masking, such as noise reduction algorithms, hearing aids, or sound engineering techniques.
Common Misspellings for PERCEPTUAL MASKING
- oerceptual masking
- lerceptual masking
- -erceptual masking
- 0erceptual masking
- pwrceptual masking
- psrceptual masking
- pdrceptual masking
- prrceptual masking
- p4rceptual masking
- p3rceptual masking
- peeceptual masking
- pedceptual masking
- pefceptual masking
- petceptual masking
- pe5ceptual masking
- pe4ceptual masking
- perxeptual masking
- perveptual masking
- perfeptual masking
- perdeptual masking
Etymology of PERCEPTUAL MASKING
The term "perceptual masking" is derived from two separate words: "perceptual" and "masking".
- "Perceptual" is derived from the Latin word "perceptus", which means "to perceive" or "to perceive by the senses". It comes from the verb "percipere", which combines "per-" (meaning "through" or "thoroughly") and "capere" (meaning "to take" or "to seize"). The word "perceptual" refers to something related to perception or the process of perceiving.
- "Masking" comes from the Middle English word "masken", which means "to cover" or "to disguise". It can be traced back to the Old French word "masque", which shares the same meaning. The term "masking" refers to the act of concealing, hiding, or obstructing something.
