Sound Flashcards
What is sound
It is cause by vibrations travelling through the air these vibrations cause soundwaves
What are the different measurements of sound
Pitch - wave frequency (Hz)
Loudness - wave amplitude (dB)
Timbre (quality or complexity) - wave complexity
Are we limited in what we can hear
There is a range or spectrum that we can hear
What are the three parts of our ear
Outer middle and inner
What is the outer ear
Includes the lobe and canal they final soundwaves into the eardrum
What is the middle ear
Includes ossicles (bones -hammer, anvil and stirrup) These vibrate at the frequency of soundwaves and transmits that to the inner ear
What does the inner ear include
The cochlea
(it’s a spiral shaped part of the ear it is filled with fluid and the outside is bone it converts vibrations into neural activity as the fluid is disturbed by the sound vibrations)
This moves to the base of the cochlea where pressure is released and transduction occurs
What is the transduction process in the inner ear
Organ of corti
Basilar membrane
They have hair cells in them which is where transduction occurs
Acoustic info -> action potentials
Sound waves travel through the cochlea and results in pressure
This pressure excites the hair cells
Info the goes from auditory and into the brain
What is the place theory of hearing
we can hear different pitches due to specific sound frequencies causing vibrations in specific parts on the basilar membrane of the cochlea. In other words, different parts of the cochlea are activated by different frequencies.
The brain detects the pitch based on the position of the hair cells that transmitted the neural signal
What is the frequency theory of hearing
Sound waves cause the entire basilar membrane to vibrate at different rates, which, in turn, causes the neural impulses to be transmitted at different rates.
Specific vibrations for a specific pitch
What is the volley theory of hearing
Volley theory states that groups of neurons of the auditory system respond to a sound by firing action potentials slightly out of phase with one another so that when combined, a greater frequency of sound can be encoded and sent to the brain to be
What is conductive hearing loss
Problems in the outer or middle ear
Hearing aid could be helpful
What is sensorineural hearing loss
Problems in the inner ear auditory nerve and auditory cortex so it’s more complex
Cochlea implant may be used
What are the causes of hearing loss
Genetic disease injury noise induced medication substances and age related
