Module 18: Nonvisual Senses Flashcards
Audition
the sense or act of hearing.
Frequency
the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time (for example, per second).
Pitch
a tone’s experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency.
Middle Ear
the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (malleus, incus, and stapes) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window.
Cochlea
a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear (resembles a snail); sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses.
Inner Ear
the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; the most common form of hearing loss, also called nerve deafness.
Conduction Hearing Loss
a less common form of hearing loss, caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea.
Cochlear Implant
a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea.
Place Theory
in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated.
Frequency Theory
in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch. (Also called temporal theory.)
Gate-Control Theory
the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The “gate” is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain.
Hypnosis
a social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) suggests to another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur.
Dissociation
a split in consciousness, which allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with others.
Posthypnotic Suggestion
a suggestion, made during a hypnosis session, to be carried out after the subject is no longer hypnotized; used by some clinicians to help control undesired symptoms and behaviors.
Olfaction
our sense of smell.
Kinesthesia
our movement sense—our system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts.
Vestibular Sense
our sense of balance—our sense of body movement and position that enables our sense of balance.
Vestibular Sacs
Contain tiny hair-like receptors that monitor the tilting of your head.
Sensory Interaction
the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste.
Embodied Cognition
the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgments.
Extrasensory Perception (ESP):
the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition.
Parapsychology
the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis (also called telekinesis).
