lecture 5 Flashcards
Superior Olivary Nucleus (SON)
a structure in the brainstem involved in processing sound information
medial geniculate nucleus
a part of the thalamus that sends sound information from the ears to the brain so we can hear and understand it.
core
the central region of the auditory cortex in the brain, where basic sound processing, such as frequency and pitch, first occurs
belt
area of the auditory cortex surrounding the core, where more complex sound processing takes place, including recognizing patterns, speech, and environmental sounds
parabelt
involved in higher-level processing of complex sounds
azimuth
horizontal direction
elevation
vertical direction
spatial sound processing
the brain’s ability to locate and interpret the position of sounds in space, including their direction, distance, and movement
cues
signals or information used to help determine something
electrophysiology
the study of the electrical activity in cells and tissues
pinnae
outer, visible parts of the ears that help capture sound waves and direct them into the ear canal for hearing
interaural time differences
refer to the slight difference in the time it takes for a sound to reach each ear. This difference helps the brain determine the direction from which the sound is coming
Raleigh’s Duplex theory
the brain uses time differences for low-frequency sounds and level differences for high-frequency sounds to locate sound direction
cone of confusion
region around the listener where sounds coming from different directions produce the same interaural time and level differences, making it hard to distinguish their exact location.
binaural cues
help determine the location of sounds, based on the differences in how sound reaches each ear
monaural cues
sound location signals that come from one ear, helping to identify the direction and distance of sounds based on their frequency and timbre
elevation
