Age-related changes in auditory temporal processing assessed using forward masking

•The rate of recovery from forward masking was compared for young and older adults.•All participants had audiometric thresholds within the normal range.•The signal level was fixed at 15 dB SL and the masker level was varied to determine the threshold.•The masker-to-signal ratios at threshold were higher for the young than for the older participants.•The rate of recovery from forward making was slower for the older participants than for young participants.