Chapter 6 - The Auditory System: Perceptual Aspects of Hearing

Question 1

hearing

Answer 1

refers specifically to the act of perceiving sound and is therefore distinguished from the physical operations that underlie auditory function

Question 2

loudness

Answer 2

magnitude of the perceived impression created by the sound of a particular physical intensity

Question 3

minimum audible field (MAF)

Answer 3

open-field technique for obtaining detection thresholds by providing sound sstimuli through a loudspeaker in front of a subject

Question 4

calibration

Answer 4

establish a precise relationship between two different variables (e.g., the volume on a sound-producing device and the actual air pressure produced at the eardrum)

Question 5

minimum audible pressure (MAP)

Answer 5

closed-ear method for obtaining detection thresholds whereby sound is provided through a set of earphones

Question 6

psychophysical function

Answer 6

relationship between sensory thresholds and a particular dimention, feature, or parameter of the stimulus

Question 7

binaural summation

Answer 7

intergration of sound signals from the two ears by the auditory nerve signals

Question 8

temporal summation

Answer 8

intergration of sound energy over time by the auditory system

Question 9

terminal threshold

Answer 9

sound pressure level that produces severe discomfort or pain thereby representing the upper intensity limit of auditory function

Question 10

dynamic range

Answer 10

intensity range between the terminal and detection thresholds for a particular frequency. the dynamic range for all audible frequencies represents the auditory response region of suprathreshold hearing

Question 11

bandpass noise

Answer 11

noise signal that contains a limited range of sound frequencies

Question 12

bandwidth

Answer 12

range of frequencies contained int he noise signal (i.e., the difference between the highest and lowest frequency values)

Question 13

tonal masking

Answer 13

masking effect on a tone of a particular frequency by another single tone

Question 14

critical band

Answer 14

range of frequencies that can mask a tone of a particular frequency. The critical band provides an estimate of the functional bandwidth of an internal filter

Question 15

critical band

Answer 15

range of frequencies that can mask a tone of a particular frequency. The critical band provides an estimate of the functional bandwidth of an internal filter

Question 16

critical band

Answer 16

range of frequencies that can mask a tone of a particular frequency. The critical band provides an estimate of the functional bandwidth of an internal filter

Question 17

fundamental

Answer 17

lowest frequency component in a complex tone. Also known as the first harmonic

Question 18

complex tone

Answer 18

sound made up of multiple frequency components that are equally spaced from one another (i.e.,, the fundamental and higher harmonics)

Question 19

diotic stimulation

Answer 19

binaural stimulation whereby both ears receive the same quality sound. The situation arises when the sound source is directly in front of or behind the head along the mid-sagittal axis, resulting in equal path lengths to both ears

Question 20

dichotic stimulation

Answer 20

binaural stimulation whereby the sound quality reaching each ear is different. The situation arises when the sound source is off the mid-sagittal axis, resulting in a greater path length to the father ear

Question 21

interaural intensity difference (IID)

Answer 21

difference in sound intensity arriving at the two ears for dichotic sounds

Question 22

interaural time difference (ITD)

Answer 22

difference in arrival time at the two ears for dichotic sounds

Question 23

superior olive

Answer 23

auditory nucleus located in the lower brain stem that codes for binaural sound differences

Question 24

masking

Answer 24

process by which the detection threshold of a sound is elevated in the presence of other sounds

Question 25

broadband noise

Answer 25

noise signal that encompasses much of the audible frequency range