C3. P4 Flashcards
What is the technical term for hearing?
Audition
Is auditory a 360 degree experience?
Yes
How are sound waves created?
Things that vibrate and make sound press the molecules in the air together
What are compressions?
Molecules that are tightly pushed together
What are rarefactions?
Where molecules are more dispersed and spread out
What are the two key characteristics of sound waves?
Amplitude and frequency
What is amplitude?
The intensity and height of sound wave
What happens when molecules are tightly packed together?
The higher the amplitude and the louder the sound
What is frequency?
The number of cycles in a specified time frame
What happens with rarefactions and compressions that make a lower pitch?
Sounds with long rarefactions will have fewer compressions move through the ear per second
What happens with rarefactions and compressions that make a higher pitch?
When a wave has short rarefactions, more compressions enter the ear per second
What are the three parts of the outer ear?
Pinna, ear canal, and eardrum
What is the Pinna?
The outer portion of the ear that funnels sound in a downward direction
What is the ear canal?
Tunnel inside of the head that amplifies lower sounds, which makes human speech easier
What is the eardrum?
Membrane that vibrates in response to waves created by compression and rarefactions in sound waves
What is the middle ear between?
Eardrum and cochlea
What are the two parts of the middle ear?
Ossicle bones and oval window
What happens with the hammer bone?
It connects to the eardrum at one end and the anvil bone at the other and where vibration enters and starts
What happens with the anvil bone?
Gets moved by the hammer during vibration
What happens with the stirrup?
Connects to oval window and anvil bone, so it vibrates with anvil vibration
What happens with the stirrup?
Connects to oval window and anvil bone, so it vibrates with anvil vibration
What is the oval window?
A membrane that covers the entrance to the cochlea, amplifying sound by 20x
What are the three parts of the inner ear?
Cochlea, cilia, and auditory nerve
What is the purpose of the cochlea?
It is filled with fluid and the basilar membrane in lined on the inside
What is the cilia?
Small in size and bundle together. They fire a signal when their upper tips are brushed
Are there more photoreceptors in the eye or cilia in the ear?
Photoreceptors
What is the auditory nerve?
Sensory neurons bind their axons together into the afferent auditory nerve which carries information to the brain
Where is the primary auditory cortex?
Temporal lobe
What does the auditory cortex do?
Process the loudness of sound, the pitch of sound, and estimates the location
True or false: sound from different angles reach the ear at the same time.
False, it will enter in the ear closest, but only by milliseconds
Explain the excitation pattern model.
The brain interprets sounds waves that activate cilia. More cilia equals louder sound
What is pitch theory?
The pitch of a sound is determined by the location of the cilia activated
Where are short cilia located and what pitch do they make?
Closer to the oval window, high pitch
Where are tall cilia located and what pitch do they make?
Deep in the cochlea, lower pitch
What is selectively responsive?
Some cilia bundles respond to some pitches but not others
What is a tonotopic map?
Distinct areas of the PAC process different tonal frequencies based on where their cilia are located
What is frequency theory?
The rate at which signals are sent to the brain by the nerves
Is association area processing top down or bottom up?
Top down
Where does the PAC route the auditory information?
The association areas
