4) Hearing, Smell, Taste Flashcards

1
Q

Sound

A

A vibration or mechanical energy travelling through a medium

Produced by mechanical disturbance (vibrating molecules)

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2
Q

describe the binaural vs monaural cues

A

cues that detect source of sound

binaural
- most used, compare time & loudness difference between ears

monaural
- clear vs muffled sounds

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3
Q

Pitch

A

frequency of wave (hertz)

Age matters! Younger people more sensitive to higher pitches

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4
Q

Loudness

A

amplitude of wave (dB)
louder = more mechanical disturbance

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5
Q

Timbre

A

quality / complexity of a sound

evident in diff music instruments

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6
Q

describe the structure of our ear

A
  1. Outer
    - pinna
    - ear canal

Eardrum

  1. Middle
    - ossicles
  2. Inner
    - cochlea
    (organ of corti + basilar membrane)
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7
Q

Outer Ear

A

funnels sound waves into eardrum

Pinna: cartilage we see

Ear canal

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8
Q

Middle Ear

A

Ossicles: tiny bones called malleus, incus, stapes
(hammer, anvil, stirrup)

Vibrates at frequency of sound wave to transmit from eardrum -> inner ear

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9
Q

Inner Ear

A

Cochlea converts vibrations -> neural activity
= transduction

  • bony spiral w/ fluid inside
  • contains organ of corti & basilar membrane
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10
Q

Organ of Corti

A

in cochlea
tissue containing hair cells necessary for hearing

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11
Q

Basilar membrane

A

membrane in cochlea supporting organ of corti + hair cells

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12
Q

How does transduction happen for hearing?

A

in hair cells in cochlea
convert info -> action potentals

Hair cells have cilia (hair-like stuff) sticking in fluid of cochlea

Pressure from sound deflect cilia, excites hair cells -> auditory nerve

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13
Q

What are the theories of pitch perception?

A

Place
Frequency
Volley

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14
Q

Place theory

A

Specific place along basilar membrane & auditory cortex matches a tone with specific pitch

Base = more sensitive to high pitch

Only accounts for HIGH PITCHES

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15
Q

Frequency theory

A

Rate that neurons fire reproduces pitch
0 - 100Hz (maximal firing rate)

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16
Q

Volley theory

A

Variation of frequency theory
Sets of neurons fire slightly out of sync to reach higher frequencies
100 - 5000 Hz

17
Q

Music + hearing

A

We’re sensitive to the arrangement of tones into melodies when listening to music

React differently, making diff brain regions active, etc

18
Q

Explain the reasons why we cannot hear

A

Genetics, disease, injury, ageing, exposure to loud noise

Conductive deafness
- malfunctioning eardrum or ossicles

Nerve deafness
- damaged auditory nerve

Noise-induced hearing
- loud sounds that last a long time / are repeated / are super loud can damage hair cells
- Accompanied by tinnitus (ringing, roaring)

Aging
- lose hearing ability especially for higher pitch
- loss of sensory cells
- degeneration of auditory nerve

19
Q

What is the most important function of smell and taste?

A

to sample food before we swallow, keeps us alive

20
Q

Olfaction

A

Our sense of smell
More advanced, thousands of diff types of smells

Olfactory neurons contain receptors that recognizes odors like lock & key

Plays strong role in sexual behavior
Siblings can recognize each other based on odor

21
Q

Odors & Pheromones

A

Airborne chemicals that interact with receptors in nose

Pheromones are odorless chemicals that are social signals, alters sexual behavior

22
Q

Gustation

A

Our sense of taste

5 basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami (savory)

Taste perception is biased strongly by smell!

Emotional disorders can distort taste perception

23
Q

Tongue taste map

A

Myth!
Every location on tongue is slightly sensitive to all tastes, even if some are more concentrated in certain areas

24
Q

Taste buds

A

Sense receptors in tongue that respond to tastes
Umami taste buds contained lots of glutamate

Everyone has diff number of taste buds

Supertasters have lots

25
Q

Tasting fat

A

As soon as it enters mouth, starts to affect body’s metabolism of fat

Cannot smell fat, has to touch tongue

Shows evidence fat is a taste!

26
Q

Describe how we perceive smell & taste

A

Smell sense receptors in nose
-> olfactory cortex & parts of limbic system

Taste buds
-> gustatory & somatosensory cortex (cuz food has texture too) & parts of limbic system

Frontal cortex:
site of convergence for smell & taste

Parts of limbic system:
help us see if its pleasant or disgusting