Final: Hearing and Perception

Question 1

What is the difference between Hearing and Perception?

Answer 1

Hearing is the PHYSIOLOGICAL response to sound waves, perception is the ability to INTERPRET the sound in a linguistically meaningful way

Question 2

Outer Ear: Pinna: Functions

Answer 2

• funnel sound into EAM
• protects entrance to EAM
• assists in localization

Question 3

Outer Ear: EAM: Functions + Size

Answer 3

• air filled cavity about 2.5cm long, open on one end
• resonances boost high frequency sounds
• protects middle and inner ear
• cerumen and cilia filter foreign objects

Question 4

Middle Ear: Components/Parts (5)

Answer 4

• tymp
• ossicles
• muscles (tensor tympani, stapedius)
• oval window
• eustachian

Question 5

Middle Ear: Functions

Answer 5

• corrects impedance mismatch between air and fluid in cochlea
  
  • ossicles = lever
  • tymp to oval window size difference = pushpin
• acoustic reflex attenuates loud sounds >85-90dB
• stapedius muscle contracts
• eustachian equalizes pressure for optimal hearing

Question 6

Inner Ear: Components

Answer 6

• vestibular system: sense of motion and position
  
  • semicircular canals, vestibule
• cochlea: sense of hearing
  
  • basilar membrane: runs length of cochlea, holds organ of corti
  • organ of corti: auditory receptor contains hair cells
  • tectorial membrane: connective tissue that covers cilia

Question 7

Basics of Hearing Process In Cochlea

Answer 7

• stapes moves in oval window, perilymph vibrates
• basilar membrane vibrates:
  
  • thin stiff base responds to higher frequencies
  • wide flaccid apex responds to lower frequencies
• organ of corti displaces toward tectorial membrane
• hair cells shear against membrane, fire impulses to auditory nerve

Question 8

Bottom Up Processing:

Answer 8

-Listener takes auditory information, then makes phonetic, then phonemic, then morphemic, and finally syntactic interpretations to derive meaning

Question 9

Top Down Processing:

Answer 9

-Listener hears some of the message, makes a rough analysis, synthesizes it into something meaningful, while simultaneously analyzing phonetics, phonemics, morphemic, and syntactic components

Question 10

What impacts the formants of vowels?

Answer 10

• Affected by connected speech:
  
  • continued movement of the articulators causes changes in vocal tract shape which affects resonant peaks
• Affected by phonemic context and rate of articulation:
  
  • ie juncture, duration, speaking rate, stress
  • increased speaking rate often produces a neutralized vowel (schwa)
• Differing vocal tract sizes produce variation in resonating cavities
  
  • i.e. men, women, children, age