Monaural and binaural intensity discrimination in normal and cochlear-impaired listeners.

Monaural and binaural intensity difference limens for 75-dB SPL pure tones were determined for 6 normal subjects and for 6 subjects with cochlear hearing loss. The magnitude of binaural masking level difference (BMLD) was also determined. Both normal and hearing-impaired subjects showed a 0.45-dB binaural advantage for intensity discrimination. In contrast, the BMLD was appreciably reduced with hearing impairment. Results are discussed in terms of specific effects of hearing loss on binaural hearing.