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Journal of Experimental Biology 87,331-342 (1980)
Published by Company of Biologists 1980

Frequency Selectivity in the Parakeet Studied by Isointensity Masking Contours

JAMES C. SAUNDERS ¹ and ROBERT L. PALLONE ²

¹ Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Human Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, U.S.A.; Dr J. C. Saunders, 5-Silverstein–ORL, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, U.S.A.
² Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Human Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, U.S.A.

The effect of masking tones at fixed sound pressure levels on the threshold detection of probe-tone signals was studied in the parakeet using avoidance conditioning and a psychophysical method of limits. Between two and six masker levels were used at each of six centre frequencies to describe isointensity masking contours. The shape of the masking contours appeared to be independent of masker level and all exhibited a band-pass filter curve whose sharpness depended on the centre frequency. These data provide an indication of the frequency resolving power of this avian species.