Effect of probe frequency and gender on click-rate-induced facilitation of the acoustic reflex thresholds

This study evaluated the effects of probe frequency and gender on the click-rate-induced facilitation of the acoustic reflex thresholds (ARTs). ARTs were measured by delivering clicks at the repetition rates of 60, 120, 180, 240 and 300/sec. The probe tones were 226, 678 and 1000 Hz. Rate-induced facilitation (RIF) was calculated for each subject, for each of the probe tones, by subtracting the minimum ART from the maximum ART. The mixed MANOVA on the RIF revealed no significant main effects or interactions for gender or probe tone frequency. However, paired comparisons revealed that the RIF values obtained from male subjects with the 1000 Hz probe tones were significantly lower than those obtained from the female subjects with all the probe tone frequencies. The results suggest that RIF can be studied with higher probe tones, but gender differences need to be considered if the probe tone is 1000 Hz.