Auditory System

Question 1

What connects the outer ear to the tympanic membrane?

Answer 1

Ear canal

Question 2

The tympanic membrane does what?

Answer 2

Turns acoustic energy into mechanical energy

Question 3

Which of the 3 bones are connected to the oval window?

Answer 3

Stapes

Question 4

What is the middle ear filled with?

Answer 4

Filled with air at atmospheric pressure

Question 5

What is the cochlea filled with?

Answer 5

filled with fluid

Question 6

This is known as hearing loss from the outer ear to middle ear; reversible

Answer 6

Conductive hearing loss

Question 7

This is known as hearing loss from cochlea to nerve; irreversible

Answer 7

Sensory-neuro hearing loss

Question 8

This is known as the physical measure of soune, it’s perception is pitch.

Answer 8

Frequency

Question 9

What is the auditory pathway?

Answer 9

Cochlea to Brainstem to Cortex

Question 10

How many people in the US have a hearing impairment?

Answer 10

30 million in the USA

Question 11

This is known as the perceptual logarithmic function of the physical variable frequency.

Answer 11

Pitch

Question 12

What’s the common principle to measure pitch?

Answer 12

Octaves

Question 13

This is known as the smallest change in frequency needed to perceive a change in pitch

Answer 13

two-tone discrimination

Question 14

This extracts and breaks down signals into smaller frequencies, and then encodes them and sends it to the brain

Answer 14

Cochlea

Question 15

What are the 3 measures/properties of sound?

Answer 15

1. Frequency
2. Intensity
3. Time

Question 16

What is the perceptual aspect of intensity?

Answer 16

loudness

Question 17

This is known as the time difference used for sound organization

Answer 17

Interaural Time Difference (ITD)

Question 18

What is the maximum ITD in adult humans?

Answer 18

700 microseconds

Question 19

What are the tasks of the auditory system?

Answer 19

1. Resolve intensity
2. Resolve frequency
3. Localize sound in space

Question 20

This is known as the hearing organ.

Answer 20

Organ of Corti

Question 21

Where is the basilar membrane located?

Answer 21

at the bottom of the membrane

Question 22

How long is the basilar membrane?

Answer 22

33mm

Question 23

The basal end of the basilar membrane contains what 3 things? What’s it used for?

Answer 23

1. Oval window
2. Round window
3. Tympanic membrane

• used for high frequency, very stiff

Question 24

The apical end of the basilar membrane is used for? Is it stiff or flexible

Answer 24

low frequency

flexible

Question 25

What’s the most common type of aging hearing loss?

Answer 25

high frequency hearing loss

Question 26

The middle ear deals with impedance by matching it. It reduces it an increases force by how much?

Answer 26

1.3 x

Question 27

What is the size reduction from the tympanic membrane to the stapes?

Answer 27

17x

Question 28

What two muscle are important in protecting the ear?

Answer 28

Stapedius & Tensor Tympani muscles

Question 29

This is known as the movement of fluid into and out of the ear due to the lever action of the tympani and oval window

Answer 29

Sound transmission

Question 30

The loudness of sound other the same as what ?

Answer 30

Broadness of the crest of the traveling wave

Question 31

Where is the first cross over in the central auditory mechanism?

Answer 31

Superior olive complex

- crosses before it is transmitted to the cortical areas

Question 32

This map shows an area for specific frequency to be carried from the cortex all the way to the nerve.

Answer 32

Tonotopic map