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Psyc 303 > hearing, music and speech > Flashcards

hearing, music and speech Flashcards

1
Q

onset discrimination

A

Listeners can detect very brief differences in timing between the two ears. At the best frequencies (around 1000 Hz), some listeners can detect differences as small as 10 μs.

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2
Q

medial superior olive (MSO)

A

A relay station in the brainstem where inputs
from both ears contribute to detection of the interaural time difference.

first place in the auditory system where input from both ears converges

firing rates of neurons hear increase in response to very brief time differences from the two ears of cats

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3
Q

The properties of the ILD relevant for auditory localization are similar to those of the ITD:

A

sounds are more intense at the ear that is closer to the sound source, and less intense at the ear farther away from the source

the ILD is largest at 90 and -90 degrees. It is nonexistent at 0 degrees (directly in front) and 180 degrees (directly behind

between these two extremes, the ILD correlates with the angle of the sound source, but because of the irregular shape of the head, the correlation is less precise than it is with ITDs

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4
Q

spatial hearing and blindness

A

many studies have shown that severe loss of vision can result in improved auditory perception of localization in sounds in space

region of the visual cortex is recruited to process auditory inputs when visual inputs are no longer available

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5
Q

attack

A

the part of a sound during which amplitude increases (onset)

the way a complex sound begins

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6
Q

decay

A

the part of a sound during which amplitude decreases (offset)

the way a complex sound ends

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7
Q

auditory scene analysis

A

processing an auditory scene consisting of multiple sound sources into separate sound images

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8
Q

good continuation

A

Gestalt grouping rule stating that sounds will tend to group together as continuous if they seem to share a common path, similar to a shared contour for vision.

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9
Q

acoustic startle reflex

A

The very rapid motor response to a sudden sound. Very few neurons are involved in the basic startle reflex, which can also be affected by emotional state.

rapid body movement following an abrupt sound - very fast

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10
Q

inattentional deafness

A

The failure to notice a fully-audible, but unexpected sound because attention was engaged on auditory stream.

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11
Q

chord

A

A combination of three or more musical notes with different pitches played simultaneously

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12
Q

absolute pitch

A

perfect pitch

a rare ability whereby some people are able to accurately name or produce notes without comparison to other notes

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13
Q

melody

A

A sequence of notes or chords perceived as a single coherent structure.

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14
Q

tempo

A

The perceived speed of the presentation of sounds.

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15
Q

syncopation

A

Any deviation from a regular rhythm.

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15
Q

rhythm

A

A repeated pattern of sounds comprised of strong and weak elements.

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16
Q

vocal folds

A

The pair of elastic tissues that vibrate due to airflow generated by lungs, depending on how close orapart and how tense or lax they are

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17
Q

phonation

A

The process through which vocal folds are made to vibrate when air pushes out of the lungs

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18
Q

respiration and phonation

A

to initiate a speech sound, air must be pushed out of the lungs, through the trachea and up to the larynx.

the diaphragm flexes to draw air into the lungs, and elastic recoil forces air back out

at the larynx, air must pass through the two vocal folds, which are made up of muscle tissue that can be adjusted to vary how freely air passes through the opening between them

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18
Q

three basic components of speech

A

respiration (lungs)
phonation (vocal folds)
articulation (vocal tract

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19
Q

vocal tract

A

the area above the larynx

the oral tract and nasal tract combined

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20
Q

articulation

A

The act or manner of producing a speech sound using the articulators—vocal tract structures including the mouth, tongue, soft palate, and jaw

manipulation of mouth structures

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21
Q

resonator

A

Most objects such as musi- cal instruments and vocal tracts are resonators because, due to their shape, they increase amplitude at some fre- quencies, called resonant frequencies, compared to other frequencies.

changing the size and shape of the space through which sound passes increases and decreases energy at different frequencies

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22
Q

formant

A

A resonance of the vocal tract. Formants are specified by their center frequency and are denoted by integers that increase with relative frequency.

labeled by number, from lowest frequency to highest

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23
Q

categorical perception

A

For speech
as well as other complex sounds and images, the phenomenon by which the discrimination of items is little better than the ability to label items.

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24
Q

Loudness

A

the psychological aspect of sound related to perceived intensity or amplitude

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25
Q

Pitch

A

the psychological aspect of sound related mainly to the fundamental frequency

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26
Q

Timbre

A

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

Conveyed by harmonics and other high frequencies

27
Q

Localization

A

knowing where is the sound source

28
Q

Duration

A

length of time the stimulus is presented

29
Q

Density

A

hollow vs solid sound - if it has an echo

30
Q

Dissonance

A

how well/poorly do the notes go together

Or/piano & kid running around
some are dependent of history & our experiences

31
Q

Lower frequencies

A

Closer to oval window

Displace basilar membrane in apex of cochlea

32
Q

Higher frequencies

A

Displace basilar membrane on base of cochlea

Farther away from oval window as frequency increases

33
Q

Place code (place principle)

A

the frequency of a sound is coded by the place along the cochlear partition that has the greatest mechanical displacement

High sound will have displacement closer to base

34
Q

Temporal code (frequency principle)

A

the frequency of a sounded is coded by the timing of neural firing as it relates to the period of the sound

35
Q

Temporal code (frequency principle)

A

problem : neurons always fire, has a refractory period- takes time to complete AP- meaning we could hear 1000hz only

36
Q

Timbre

A

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

Conveyed by harmonics and other frequencies

F will be the same but we can tell there is something different

We know these all sound different

37
Q

Harmonic spectrum

A

the spectrum of a complex sound in which energy is at integer multiples of the fundamental frequency

38
Q

Fundamental frequency

A

lowest frequency of harmonic spectrum

Also, the greatest common divisor of the component frequencies

Perceived pitch is determined by this

39
Q

What happens when the first harmonic is missing?

A

The pitch listeners hear will still correspond to the f

40
Q

Missing-fundamental effect

A

perceived pitch corresponds to the fundamental frequency, even if it is missing

41
Q

Azimuth

A

the angle of a sound source on the horizon relative to a point in the center of the head between the ears- measure in degrees

42
Q

Sound localization

A

Two ears: critical for determining auditory locations

That sound is closer to one ear than another

Sounds arrive slightly sooner at the ear closer to the source

Interaural time differences (ITDs)

Interaural level differences (ILDs)

Use a combination of cues

ITDs:<1600Hz
ILDs:>800 Hz

43
Q

Interaural time differences (ITD)

A

the difference in time between a sound arriving at one ear versus the other

Know location because of which ear it arrives at first

44
Q

Interaural time differences

A

Sound travels quickly

The variation there is in time it takes for a sound to reach each depends on where it comes from in space

45
Q

Interaural level difference (ILD)

A

the difference in level (intensity) between a sound arriving at one ear
versus the other

Sounds more intense at the ear closer to the source because the head partially blocks the sound pressure wave from reaching the opposite ear

46
Q

High-frequency sound

A

Seems to be a function of a sound

47
Q

Interaural level difference

A

Different positions around the head

48
Q

Cone of confusion

Perceptual phenomenon

A

A region of positions in space where all sounds produce the same ITDs and ILDs

Happens when sound comes from directly in front or behind

Same time and level intensity differences

Brain may struggle to determine the actual location of a sound

49
Q

Reasons why cones of confusion are not major practical problems for the auditory system

A

Not the only cues for determining sound sources

Head movement: only one spatial location will be consistent with the ITDs and ILDs before and after the movement

Spectral cues

50
Q

Directional transfer function (DTF)

A

A measure that describes how the pinna, ear canal, head and torso, change then intensity of sounds with different frequencies that arrive at each ear from different locations in space (azimuth and elevation)

Pinna have a complex shape and can funnel certain sound frequencies more efficiently than others

Intensities of frequencies vary because of direction of sound

Size and shape of one’s body can impact which frequencies reach the ear more quickly

51
Q

Directional Transfer Functions

A

A measure that describes how the pinna , ear canal, head and torso change the intensity of sounds with different frequencies that arrive at each ear

At different points in space

le/imp. knowing live music sounds different than listening through headphones-earbuds bypass pinna

52
Q

Directional Transfer Functions

Single point in space

A

Differences in intensities of varying frequency

53
Q

Auditory Distance Perception

A

We are better at judging auditory direction, but not how far away something is

relative intensity of the sound

spectral composition of sounds

relative amounts of direct vs. reverberant energy

ITDs, ILDs, and DTFs do NOT provide much information about distance when sound is >1m away

54
Q

relative intensity of the sound

A

If there are 2 identical sounds we are better at perceiving - but requires us to make assumptions

Bullfrog louder=closer(assumption)

55
Q

Inverse square law

A

As distance from a source increases, intensity decreases faster

Intensity is proportional to the inverse of the squared distance

The effectiveness of relative intensity decreases as the distance increases

Sounds farther away do not seem to change direction in relation to listener- as much as nearer sounds do- like motion parallax

56
Q

spectral composition of sounds

A

Higher frequencies decrease in energy more than lower frequencies with distance (atmospheric absorption,objects)-judge signal as coming from farther away

Sound absorbing qualities of air dampen high frequencies more then low frequencies

So when sound sources are farther away, higher frequencies decrease in NRG more then low frequencies

Farther away the sound source the more “muddier” it sounds

Change noticeable only for large distances

57
Q

Relative amounts of direct vs reverberant energy

A

Sounds are some combination of this

Direct: arrives directly from source, when a sound is closer most NRG is direct

Reverberant: has bounced of services in the environment, provides a greater proportion of the total when farther away

Relevant amount of reverberant energy decreases with distance (or direct energy decrease with distance)

We are poor at knowing how far a sound is

58
Q

Tone height

A

a sound quality corresponding to the level of pitch

Monotonically related to frequency

59
Q

Tone chroma

A

a sound quality shared by tones that have the same octave interval- related to the octave

Each note on the musical scale (A-G) has a different chroma

60
Q

Octave

A

the interval between two sound frequencies
having a ratio of 2:1

When one of two periodic sounds is double the frequency of the other, the two sounds are one octave apart

Example:
Fundamental frequency
(C3 =130.8 Hz }
x2 (C4 = 261.6 Hz }one octave
x2 (C5 = 523.2 Hz }one octave

61
Q

Music and Cultural Differences

A

Some relationships between notes, such as octaves, are universal

Musical scales vary widely across cultures

Different notes within an octave (e.g., 7 vs 5)

Estimates of intervals between notes
across correspond to the music scale from their culture

Six-month-old infants detect inappropriate notes in both scales but US adults only detect deviations from the Western scale

62
Q

Source segregation (auditory scene analysis)

A

processing an auditory scene consisting of multiple sound sources into separate sound images

63
Q

Spatial sound source

A

Sounds that came from the same area are treated like they are coming from the same source

If sounds are moving in space they can be more easier to separate (same for if the listener moves)

64
Q

Temporal sound source

A

Sound components beginning at the same time are treated as coming from the same source

Helps group harmonics into a single complex sound

65
Q

Onset sound source (common fate)

A

Gestalt grouping rule stating that the tendency of sounds to group together will increase if they begin and/or end at the same time

66
Q

Auditory stream segregation

A

the perceptual organization of a complex acoustic signal into separate auditory events for which each stream is
heard as a separate event

Dividing the auditory world into separate auditory objects

Challenge with competing sound in the environment

Psyc 303 (3 decks)

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