Growth rate of loudness, annoyance, and noisiness as a function of tone location within the noise spectrum.

The relation between overall perceived magnitude (loudness, annoyance, and noisiness) of noise-tone complexes and the location of the tone within the spectrum was investigated by absolute magnitude estimation (AME). Single tones at 250, 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hz were added to low-and high-pass noises. In contrast to noisiness, loudness and annoyance growth behavior depends on the relationship between the frequency of the added tone and the spectral shape of the noise. Tones centered in noise produce nonmonotonic loudness and annoyance growth functions; those added to the skirt produce power functions. The measured exponents are invariant across tone-to-noise ratio when the tones are positioned within the spectrum, but not when they are added to the skirt. Moreover, for complexes at approximately the same overall SPL, the tone's position determines the functional relationship between loudness (or annoyance) and tone-to-noise ratio. Although a tone correction for annoyance is warranted for certain noise-tone configurations, none of the proposed calculation procedures considers all the variables relevant to perceived annoyance of tonal components. To a large extent, complex auditory interactions generated by the simultaneous presentation of noise and tone can account for the observed effects.