Psychology and Sociology: The Ear

Question 1

Pinna or auricle

Answer 1

cartilaginous outside of the ear where a sound wave first reaches; channels sound waves to the external auditory canal

Question 2

External auditory canal

Answer 2

directs sound waves to the tympanic membrane (eardrum)

Question 3

Ossicles

Answer 3

smallest bones in the body; in the middle ear; help transmit and amplify the vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the inner ear

Question 4

Eustachian tube

Answer 4

helps equalize pressure between the middle ear and the environment; connects the middle ear and the nasal cavity

Question 5

Bony labyrinth

Answer 5

hollow region of the temporal bone containing the cochlea, vestibule, and semicircular canals

Question 6

Membranous labyrinth (bony labyrinth)

Answer 6

inside the bony labyrinth, continuous collection of tubes and chambers; contains receptors for the sense of equilibrium and hearing

Question 7

Endolymph

Answer 7

potassium-rich fluid that fills the membranous labyrinth; suspended within the bony labyrinth by a thin layer of another fluid

Question 8

Perilymph

Answer 8

transmits vibrations from the outside world and cushions the inner ear structures

Question 9

Oval window (cochlea)

Answer 9

Sound entering the cochlea through the oval window causes vibrations in perilymph, which are transmitted to the basilar membrane

Question 10

Round window (cochlea)

Answer 10

The round window, a membrane-covered hole in the cochlea, permits perilymph to actually move within the cochlea

Question 11

Auditory (vestibulocochlear) nerve

Answer 11

nerve that carries electrical signal to the CNS