Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

PSYC 304: Sensation & Perception > Ch. 9 > Flashcards

Ch. 9 Flashcards

1
Q

amplitude (intensity)

A

in reference to sound, the magnitude of displacement (increase or decrease) of a pressure wave; perceived as loudness; magnitude of pressure change in a sound wave

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

frequency

A

in reference to sound, the number of times per second that a pattern of pressure change repeats; perceived as pitch

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Hertz (Hz)

A

a unit of measure for frequency; 1 Hz = 1 cycle per second

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

loudness

A

the psychological aspect of sound related to perceived intensity (amplitude)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

pitch

A

the psychological aspect of sound related to perceived frequency
- low frequency –> low pitch
- high frequency –> high pitch

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

decibel (dB)

A

a unit of measure for the physical intensity of sound; define the difference between two sounds as the ratio between two sound pressures

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

sine wave (pure tone)

A

the single waveform for which variation as a function of time is a sine function; a smooth, repeating wave shape that follows the pattern of a sine curve over time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

all sounds can be described as…

A

combinations of sine waves

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

spectrum

A

a representation of the relative energy (intensity) present at each frequency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

harmonic spectra

A

the spectrum of a complex sound in which various frequencies are at integer multiples of the fundamental frequency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

fundamental frequency

A

the lowest-frequency component of a complex periodic sound; the first harmonic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

timbre

A

the psychological sensation by which a listener can judge that two sounds with the same loudness and pitch are dissimilar

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

pinna

A

the outer, funnel-like part of the ear; sounds first collected from the environment by this

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

ear canal

A

the canal that conducts sound vibrations from the pinna to the tympanic membrane and prevents damage to the tympanic membrane

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

outer ear

A

the external sound-gathering portion of the ear, consisting of the pinna and the ear canal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

tympanic membrane

A

the eardrum; a thin sheet of skin at the end of the outer ear canal; vibrates in response to sound; border between the outer ear and middle ear

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

ossicle

A

any of the three bones of the middle ear: malleus, incus, stapes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

malleus

A

the most exterior of the three ossicles; receives vibration from the tympanic membrane and is attached to the incus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

incus

A

the middle of the three ossicles, connecting the malleus and the stapes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

stapes

A

the most interior of the three ossicles; connected to the incus on one end, presses against the oval window of the cochlea on the other end

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

oval window

A

the flexible opening to the cochlea through which the stapes transmits vibration to the fluid inside; border between the middle ear and inner ear

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

inner ear

A

a hollow cavity in the temporal bone of the skull, and the structures within this cavity: the cochlea and the semicircular canals of the vestibular system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

ossicles are the smallest bones in the human body and they amplify sound vibrations in two ways

A

1) the joints between the bones are hinged in ways that make them work like levers: a modem amount of energy on one side of the fulcrum (joint) becomes larger on the other; this lever action increases the amount of pressure change by about a third
2) concentrate energy from a larger to a smaller surface area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

middle ear has two muscles

A

tensor tympani and stapedius

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

tensor tympani

A

the muscle attached to the malleus; tensing this muscle decreases vibration

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

stapedius

A

attached to the stapes; tensing this muscle decreases vibration

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

purpose of the tensor tympani and stapedius

A
  • to tense when sounds are very loud
  • restrict movement of the ossicles and thus muffle pressure changes that might be large enough to damage the delicate structures in the inner ear
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

acoustic reflex

A

a reflex that protects the ear from intense sounds, via contraction of the stapedius and tensor tympani muscles
- also tensed during swallowing, talking, and general body movement, helping to keep the auditory system from being overwhelmed by sounds generated by our own bodies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

cochlea

A

a spiral structure of the inner ear containing the organ of Corti

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

three parallel canals of the cochlea

A

tympanic canal, vestibular canal, middle canal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

tympanic canal

A

one of the three fluid-filled passages in the cochlea; extends from the round window at the base of the cochlea to the helicotrema at the apex; filled with the fluid perilymph

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

vestibular canal

A

one of the three fluid-filled passages in the cochlea; extends from the oval window at the base of the cochlea to the helicotrema at the apex; filled with the fluid perilymph

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

middle canal

A

one of the three fluid-filled passages in the cochlea; sandwiched between the tympanic and vestibular canals and contains the cochlear partition; filled with the fluid endolymph

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

helicotrema

A

the opening that connects the tympanic and vestibular canals at the apex of the cochlea

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

stria vascularis

A

specialized tissue lines one side of the middle canal and maintains the right balance of charged ions in the endolymph to keep hair cells working at their best

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

three canals of the cochlea are separated by two membranes

A

Reissner’s membrane and basilar membrane

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

Reissner’s membrane

A

a thin sheath of tissue separating the vestibular and middle canals in the cochlea

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

basilar membrane

A

a plate of fibers that forms the base of the cochlear partition and separates the middle and tympanic canals in the cochlea

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

cochlear partition

A

the combined basilar membrane, tectorial membrane, and organ of Corti, which are together responsible for the transduction of sound waves into neural signals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

traveling waves

A

movement of the oval window by vibrations transmitted through the tympanic membrane and middle-ear bones causes waves of pressure changes to flow through the fluid in the vestibular canal

41
Q

round window

A

a soft area of tissue at the base of the tympanic canal that releases excess pressure remaining from extremely intense sounds

42
Q

organ of Corti

A

a structure on the basilar membrane of the cochlea that is composed of hair cells and dendrites and auditory nerve fibers

43
Q

hair cell

A

any cell that has stereocilia for transducing mechanical movement in the inner ear into neural activity sent to the brain; some also receive inputs from the brain

44
Q

auditory nerve (AN)

A

a collection of neurons that convey information from hair cells in the cochlea to the brainstem (afferent neurons) and from the brainstem to the hair cells (efferent neurons)

45
Q

stereocilium

A

any of hairlike extensions on the tips of hair cells in the cochlea that, when flexed, initiate the release of neurotransmitters

46
Q

tectorial membrane

A

a gelatinous structure, attached on one end, that extends into the middle canal of the cochlea, floating above inner hair cells and touching outer hair cells; stimulates the hair cells

47
Q

tip link

A

a tiny filament that stretches from the tip of a stereocilium to the side of its neighbor

48
Q

mechanoelectrical transduction

A

when a stereocilium deflects, the tip link pulls on the taller stereocilium in a way that opens an ion pore for just a tiny fraction of a second –> permits potassium ions to flow rapidly into the hair cell, causing rapid depolarization –> depolarization leads to a rapid influx of calcium ions and initiation of the release of neurotransmitters from the base of the hair cell to stimulate dendrites of the auditory nerve

49
Q

brief summary of the process of sound transmission

A
  • air pressure wave is funneled by the pinna through the external ear canal to the tympanic membrane, which vibrates back and forth in time with the sound wave
  • tympanic membrane vibrates the malleus, which vibrates the incus, which vibrates the stapes, which pushes and pulls on the oval window
  • movement of the oval window causes pressure bulges to move down the length of the vestibular canal, and these bulges in the vestibular canal move the middle canal up and down
  • this up-and-down motion forces the tectorial membrane to shear across the organ of Corti, moving the stereocilia atop hair cells back and forth
  • pivoting of stereocilia initiates rapid depolarization that results in spurts of neurotransmitter released into synaptic clefts between the hair cells and dendrites of auditory nerve fibers
  • these neurotransmitters initiate action potentials in the auditory nerve fibers and these signals are carried to the brain
50
Q

depending on the frequencies of a sound…

A

the cochlear partition is displaced up and down in different places along the length of the cochlea

51
Q

place code

A

tuning of different parts of the cochlea to different frequencies, in which information about the particular frequency of an incoming sound wave is coded by the place along the cochlear partition that has the greatest mechanical displacement

52
Q

cochlear tuning to frequency caused by…

A

differences in the structure of the basilar membrane along the length of the cochlea
- higher frequencies affect the narrower, stiffer regions of the basilar membrane near the base more
- lower frequencies cause greater displacements in the wider, more flexible regions near the apex

53
Q

afferent fiber

A

a neuron that carries sensory information to the central nervous system

54
Q

efferent fiber

A

a neuron that carries information from the central nervous system to the periphery

55
Q

threshold tuning curves

A

a graph plotting the thresholds of a neuron in response to sine waves with varying frequencies at the lowest intensity that will give rise to a response

56
Q

characteristic frequency (CF)

A

the frequency to which a particular auditory nerve fiber is most sensitive

57
Q

electromotility

A

the ability of outer hair cells to extend and contract which changes the stiffness and sensitivity of the cochlear partition

58
Q

otoacoustic emissions

A

activity of outer hair cells create these sounds

59
Q

two-tone suppression

A

a decrease in the response (firing rate) of one auditory nerve fiber to one tone when a second tone is presented at the same time

60
Q

isointensity curves

A

a map plotting the firing rate of an auditory nerve fiber against varying frequencies at varying intensities

61
Q

rate saturation

A

the point at which a nerve fiber is firing as rapidly as possible and further stimulation is incapable of increasing the firing rate

62
Q

rate-intensity function

A

a graph plotting the firing rate of an auditory nerve fiber in response to a sound of constant frequency at increasing intensities

63
Q

high-spontaneous fiber

A

an auditory nerve fiber that has a high rate (more than 30 spikes per second) of spontaneous firing; increase their firing rate in response to relatively low levels of sound

63
Q

low-spontaneous fiber

A

an auditory nerve fiber that has a low rate (less than 10 spikes per second) of spontaneous firing; require relatively intense sound before they will fire at higher rates

64
Q

mid-spontaneous fiber

A

an auditory nerve fiber that has a medium rate (10-30 spikes per second) of spontaneous firing; characteristics of these fibers are intermediate between those of low- and high-spontaneous fibers

65
Q

the auditory system can accurately determine the frequency of incoming sound waves by…

A

integrating information across many AN fibers and using the pattern of firing rates across all these fibers

66
Q

phase locking

A

firing of a single neuron at one distinct point in the period (cycle) of a sound wave at a given frequency

67
Q

temporal code

A

tuning of different parts of the cochlea to different frequencies, in which information about the particular frequency of an incoming sound wave is coded by the timing of neural firing as it relates to the period of the sound; reliable for lower frequencies

68
Q

volley principle

A

the idea that multiple neurons can provide a temporal code for frequency is each neuron fires at a distinct point in the period of a sound wave but does not fire on every period

69
Q

cochlear nucleus

A

the first brainstem nucleus at which afferent auditory nerve fibers synapse; there are two (right and left); contain several different types of specialized neurons

70
Q

superior olive

A

an early brainstem region in the auditory pathway where inputs from both ears converge

71
Q

inferior colliculus

A

a midbrain nucleus in the auditory pathway; neurons from the cochlear nucleus and superior olive travel up the brainstem to this structure

72
Q

medial geniculate nucleus

A

the part of the thalamus that relays auditory signals to the temporal cortex an receives input from the auditory cortex

73
Q

all structures of the auditory system show a consistent organizational pattern

A

neurons are aligned based on the frequencies to which they are most sensitive
- neurons most responsive to low-frequency energy lie on one edge of each structure
- neurons responding to high frequencies lie on the other edge
- neurons responding to other frequencies are spread out in an orderly fashion in between

74
Q

tonotopic organization

A

an arrangement in which neurons that respond to different frequencies are organized anatomically in order of frequency

75
Q

primary auditory cortex (A1)

A

the first area within the temporal lobes of the brain responsible for processing acoustic information

76
Q

belt area

A

a region of cortex, directly adjacent to the primary auditory cortex (A1), with inputs form A1, where neurons respond to more complex characteristics of sounds

77
Q

parabelt area

A

a region of cortex, lateral and adjacent to the belt area, where neurons respond to more complex characteristics of sounds, as well as to input from other senses

78
Q

processing proceeds from simpler to more complex stimuli…

A

as we move farther along the auditory pathway

79
Q

psychoacoustics

A

the branch of psychophysics that studies the psychological correlates of the physical dimensions of acoustics in order to understand how the auditory system operates

80
Q

audibility threshold

A

the lowest sound pressure level that can be reliably detected at a given frequency

81
Q

audibility threshold for human hearing

A

20-20,000 Hz

82
Q

equal-loudness curve

A

a graph plotting sound pressure level (dB SPL) against the frequency for which a listener perceives constant loudness; starting point for each curve is always 1000 Hz

83
Q

temporal integration

A

the process by which a sound at a constant level is perceived as being louder when it is of greater duration (longer)

84
Q

masking

A

using a second sound, frequently noise, to make the detection of another sound more difficult

85
Q

white noise

A

noise consisting of all audible frequencies in equal amounts

86
Q

critical bandwidth

A

the range of frequencies conveyed within a channel in the auditory system
- smaller for low frequencies than for high frequencies

87
Q

simplest way to introduce some hearing loss

A

obstruct the ear canal, thus inhibiting the ability of sound waves to exert pressure on the tympanic membrane

88
Q

conductive hearing loss

A

hearing loss caused by problems with the bones of the middle ear; when the middle-ear bones lose (or are impaired in) their ability to freely convey (conduct) vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the oval window

89
Q

otitis media

A

inflammation of the middle ear, commonly in children as a result of infection
- under these conditions, the oval window usually still vibrates, but without the amplifying power of the ossicles, hearing thresholds can be raised as much as 50 dB

90
Q

otosclerosis

A

abnormal growth of the middle-ear bones that causes hearing loss

91
Q

sensorineural hearing loss

A

hearing loss due to defects in the cochlea or auditory nerve

92
Q

Three components to sensorineural hearing loss

A

1) “Sensory loss”
- Injury and loss of hair cells, mostly outer hair cells
- Auditory nerve responses are decreased and less selective for frequency
- With fewer inner hair cells, the neuronal firing pattern of the volley principle would become more difficult to maintain because there would be fewer neurons available to take turns firing
2) “Neural loss”
- actual loss of auditory nerve fibers
- aging
3) metabolic hearing loss
- hair cell activity decreases due to their surrounding fluid being compromised

93
Q

metabolic hearing loss

A

hearing loss caused by degraded ability of the stria vascularis to provide sufficient nutrients and ions to the cochlear partition

94
Q

major cause of sensorineural hearing loss

A

damage to hair cells by excessive exposure to noise

95
Q

presbycusis

A

age-related hearing loss

96
Q

electronic hearing aids

A

Use some means to amplify signals while also compressing intensity differences to keep the highest intensities within a comfortable listening level; Typically tuned to provide the greatest amplification only for frequencies in the region of greatest lost

97
Q

hidden hearing loss

A

a type of hearing loss that cannot be easily detected by standard hearing tests; may explain some of the difficulties that human listeners have in noisy situations even when their audiograms are normal

PSYC 304: Sensation & Perception (9 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions