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23 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Objective
Describe the relationship of amplitude and frequency with loudness and pitch. |
The amplitude of a sound wave is its intensity. A very intense compression of air, such as that produced by a bolt of lightning, produces sounds waves of great amplitude.
Loudness, the perception of intensity, is related to amplitude. Basically, the bigger the amplitude of a sound wave, the louder the sound. The frequency of a sound is the number of compressions per second, measured in hertz (Hz, cycles per second). Pitch is a perception closely related to frequency. The higher the frequency of a sound wave, the higher its pitch. |
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Objective
Identify the basic structures of the ear. |
See study guide.
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Objective
Distinguish between frequency theory and place theory. |
Frequency theory states that the basilar membrane vibrates in synchrony with a sound, causing auditory nerve axons to produce action potentials at the same frequency.
According to the place theory, the basilar membrane resembles the strings of a piano in that each area along the membrane is tuned to a specific frequency and vibrates in its presence. Basically each frequency activates the hair cells at only one place along the basilar membrane, and the nervous system distinguishes among frequencies based on which neurons are activated. |
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Objective
Explain the volley principle. |
According to the volley principle of pitch discrimination, the auditory nerve as a whole can have volleys of impulses up to about 4000 per second, even though no individual axon approaches that frequency by itself. Most human hearing takes place below 4000 Hz, the approximate limit of the volley principle. When we hear very high frequencies, we use a mechanism similar to the one specified by place theory. The basilar membrane varies so that it is stiffest at its base, where the stapes meets the cochlea, and floppiest at the apex, the other end of the cochlea. The highest frequency sounds vibrate hair cells near the base, and lower frequency sounds vibrate hair cells farther along the membrane and closer to the apex.
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Objective
Indicate which cortical structures process auditory information. |
Information from the auditory system passes through several subcortical structures, with a crossover in the midbrain that enables each hemisphere of the forebrain to get most of its input from the opposite ear. The information ultimately reaches the primary auditory cortex (A1) in the superior temporal cortex.
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Objective
Compare the two types of deafness. |
1. Conductive Deafness
2. Nerve Deafness See study guide. |
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Objective
Identify the cues that humans use to localize sound. |
See study guide.
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amplitude
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Intensity of a sound wave
The greater the amplitude, the greater the intensity or loudness |
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loudness
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Perception of intensity
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frequency
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The number of compressions per second, measured in hertz (Hz, or cycles per second)
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pitch
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Perception closely related to frequency
The higher the frequency of a sound, the higher its pitch |
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pinna
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The familiar structure of flesh and cartilage attached to each side of the head
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tympanic membrane (eardrum)
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Structure of the middle ear
Vibrates at the same frequency as the sound waves that strike it Attached to 3 bones that transmit vibrations to the oval window |
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oval window
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Membrane of the inner ear that vibrates at the entrance of the scala vestibuli, thereby setting in motion all the fluid in the cochlea
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cochea
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Inner ear structure that moves in response to vibrations coming from the middle ear (oval window)
Movement causes hair cells to move and convert that motion into electrical signals |
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hair cell
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Auditory receptors
When displaced by vibrations, it opens ion channels in the membrane, thus causing action potentials |
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frequency theory
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The basilar membrane vibrates in synchrony with a sound, causing auditory nerve axons to produce action potentials at the same frequency
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place theory
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The basilar membrane resembles the strings of a piano in that each area along the membrane is tuned to a specific frequency and vibrates in its presence
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volley principle
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The auditory nerve as a whole can have volleys of impulses up to about 4000 per second, even though no individual axon approaches the frequency by itself
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primary auditory cortex (Area A1)
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Area in the superior temporal cortex that processes auditory information
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conductive (middle-ear) deafness
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Occurs if the bones of the middle ear fail to transmit sound waves properly to the cochlea
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nerve (inner-ear) deafness
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Results from damage to the cochlea, the hair cells, or the auditory nerve
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tinnitus
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Frequent or constant ringing in the ears
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