Final answer:
The masking effect by Egan Hake spreads more to lower frequencies, aligning with the principles of the Doppler effect. As relative motion toward a sound source increases, so does the perceived frequency, whereas relative motion away decreases it.
Step-by-step explanation:
The masking effect demonstrated by Egan Hake suggests that the masking spreads more to lower frequencies. This is consistent with the Doppler effect where the frequency of a sound changes relative to the motion of the source and the observer. When an observer moves toward a source, the sound they perceive has a higher frequency, and when moving away from the source, they perceive a lower frequency. This frequency shift corresponds with our perception of pitch, which explains why the masking effect would spread more towards lower frequencies when comparing sounds of various frequencies.
For example, consider a passing car with a stereo system; the sound perceived by the person as the car approaches is of higher frequency due to the compression of sound waves. Conversely, as the car moves away, the sound waves are stretched, leading to a perception of lower frequency. Similarly, deeper air columns produce lower-frequency sounds, and increased motion toward a source results in higher perceived frequencies.