Lecture 1

Question 1

What do mechano neural receptors do?

Answer 1

Pick up on movement

Question 2

Chemo

Answer 2

pick up on molecules that are in the environment therefore important for smell and taste

Question 3

Noci

Answer 3

important for pain

Question 4

Photo neural receptors

Answer 4

vision, pick up light in the environment

Question 5

What is the thalamus?

Answer 5

=a sub-cortical structure near the top of the brain

Question 6

What does psychophysics look at?

Answer 6

How stimulus affects brain response

Question 7

What does JND relate to?

Answer 7

=how much difference is detectable

Question 8

What happens in adaptation?

Answer 8

receptors develop to filter out constant stimulus

Question 9

What do behaviour observations involve?

Answer 9

look at how damaged areas affect behaviour

therefore can link brain areas to behaviour

Question 10

2 ways to measure neural responses?

Answer 10

1. Record response of 1 cell in a stimulus

2. record brain blood flow or electrical responses

Question 11

What is amplitude?

Answer 11

How big the sound is, increasing makes sound louder

Question 12

What is herts?

Answer 12

The number of cycles per second

more=higher frequency and pitch

Question 13

What happens in the outer/middle ear?

Answer 13

1. sound wave
2. Tympanic membrane (ear drum) vibrates
3. moves the malleus, incus and stapes bones
4. vibrates ‘oval window’

Question 14

Cochlea

• what is is key for?
• what happens?

Answer 14

-key for turning vibrations into nerve signals

• Vibration on oval window causes the Basilar membrane to vibrate
• these vibrations moves sensory hairs on the organ or court
• signals relayed to the brain via mechanoreceptors

Question 15

What is the origin of cortisones?

Answer 15

Vibration of tectorial membrane moves inner hair cells to stimulate cochlea nerve fibre

Question 16

How does brain decode origin of cortisones?

Answer 16

• Neurons are synced (phase locked) to the stimulus sine wave.
• Relayed via subcortical structures to primary auditory cortex.

Question 17

What is ITD?

Answer 17

Interaural Time Differences

• sound directly to the side of a person will reach one ear 700 microseconds before the other ear
• important for locating sounds in the world

Question 18

What is ILD?

Answer 18

Interaural Level Differences

• Sound frequencies above 3 kHz can also be localized using Interaural Level Differences (ILD) are used (frequencies that are higher use this)
• ILDs rely on the head filtering out signals, ipsilateral (same side) ear receives higher intensity stimulus that contralateral ear (other side)