a reduction in the ability to detect, discriminate, or recognize a specific sound (the signal or target) due to interferences caused by another sound (the masker). This is measured as an increase in the detection threshold caused by the masker. The amount of masking is represented by the increase in threshold measured in decibels (dB). The ability of one sound to mask another has been used extensively to assess the frequency selectivity of the auditory system in humans and animals.
AUDITORY MASKING: “Auditory masking refers to one sound covering or masking another – making it virtually impossible to hear the sound being masked.”