Adjustment layer masks

[StuartC]

I am obviously being very dense about this but please bear with me!  

I am using V1 at present and ben trying to get to grips with using adjustment layers for editing my wildlife photos. As I understand it an adjustment layer has its own mask and when I watch YouTube videos by renowned experts this mask seems to appear as a separate icon in the layers panel.  So far I have been unable to reproduce that, no mask icon appears (I have attached a screenshot of what I mean)  I can highlight the subject and indeed make adjustments to that selection and paint on it to reveal the other layer but I expected a mask. Is that the mask in the adjustment, if so why no icon as shown in the videos?

I am clearly missing some thing fundamental or have entirely misunderstood, I would be grateful for some advice, obviously, given my confusion this needs to be a clear description!

 

[carl123]

38 minutes ago, StuartC said:

As I understand it an adjustment layer has its own mask and when I watch YouTube videos by renowned experts this mask seems to appear as a separate icon in the layers panel

In V2 you will get a separate mask icon, once you draw on the mask

In V1 the same icon (thumbnail) you see for the Curves Adjustment will also show you the mask, once you start to paint (black) on it