Abstract
Harmonics of moderate-level single tones can be measured in the earcanals of gerbils with healthy ears. The same harmonic components measured in a cavity are as much as 20 to 40 dB below those measured in the earcanal. Earcanal harmonics, specifically the second and third, are generated largely within the cochlea and are physiologically vulnerable. Harmonic magnitudes rapidly decrease for primary frequencies above about 3 kHz. High-frequency masking tones can have dramatic suppression effects on the harmonic structure of low frequency primaries. For example, a 2 or 4 kHz masker at moderate levels can totally suppress the third harmonic of a 200 Hz tone. Many of these results can be simulated by a vector-sum model. In this model harmonic emissions can be thought of as very gross potentials that convey little information concerning specific regions of the cochlea.
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© 1986 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Schmiedt, R.A. (1986). Harmonic Acoustic Emissions in the Earcanal Generated by Single Tones: Experiments and a Model. In: Allen, J.B., Hall, J.L., Hubbard, A.E., Neely, S.T., Tubis, A. (eds) Peripheral Auditory Mechanisms. Lecture Notes in Biomathematics, vol 64. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-50038-1_41
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-50038-1_41
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