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Perception 2.0 > Task 7 - Good Vibrations > Flashcards

Task 7 - Good Vibrations Flashcards

1
Q

What is sound?

A

Sound is created when objects vibrate, causing pressure changes in a surrounding medium (air, water, etc.), forming sound waves.

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2
Q

How does sound travel through different media?

A

Sound travels faster in denser substances; 340 m/s in air and 1500 m/s in water.

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3
Q

What is amplitude in sound waves?

A

The magnitude of pressure change in a sound wave, measured in decibels (dB). It determines loudness.

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4
Q

What is frequency in sound waves?

A

The number of pressure changes per second, measured in Hertz (Hz). It determines pitch.

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5
Q

What is Fourier analysis?

A

A mathematical method that breaks down complex sounds into simple sine wave components.

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6
Q

What is a pure tone?

A

A sound wave that can be described by a single sine wave.

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7
Q

What is a harmonic spectrum?

A

A complex sound where each frequency component is an integer multiple of the lowest frequency (fundamental frequency).

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8
Q

What is psychoacoustics?

A

The study of the psychological perception of sound.

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9
Q

What is the range of human hearing?

A

From 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, with the most sensitivity between 2000–4000 Hz.

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10
Q

What is the audibility threshold?

A

The lowest sound pressure level that can be reliably detected.

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11
Q

What are equal-loudness curves?

A

Graphs showing how sound intensity must change across frequencies to be perceived as equally loud.

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12
Q

What is temporal integration in hearing?

A

The perception of loudness increases with the duration of a sound.

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13
Q

What is pitch?

A

The perceptual quality of sound that allows us to differentiate high and low tones.

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14
Q

What is timbre?

A

The quality of a sound that distinguishes different sources even when they have the same pitch and loudness.

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15
Q

What is the function of the pinna?

A

Collects sound and helps in sound localization.

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16
Q

What is the tympanic membrane?

A

The eardrum, which vibrates in response to sound waves.

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17
Q

What are the three ossicles of the middle ear?

A

Malleus (hammer), Incus (anvil), and Stapes (stirrup). They amplify sound.

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18
Q

What is the cochlea?

A

A snail-shaped structure in the inner ear responsible for converting sound into neural signals.

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19
Q

What are hair cells in the cochlea?

A

Sensory receptors that detect sound vibrations and send signals to the brain.

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20
Q

What is the basilar membrane?

A

A structure inside the cochlea that vibrates in response to sound and is tonotopically organized.

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21
Q

How does the cochlea encode frequency?

A

High frequencies vibrate the base, while low frequencies vibrate the apex.

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22
Q

What is the tonotopic map?

A

A frequency-based organization of the cochlea and auditory cortex.

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23
Q

What is the cochlear amplifier?

A

A mechanism where outer hair cells fine-tune the basilar membrane’s response to specific frequencies.

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24
Q

What is the auditory nerve (AN)?

A

A collection of neurons that transmit sound signals from the cochlea to the brainstem.

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25
What is rate saturation?
The point where an auditory nerve fiber fires at its maximum rate and cannot increase further.
26
What is the volley principle?
A theory that multiple neurons work together to encode high-frequency sounds.
27
What part of the brain first processes auditory signals?
The cochlear nucleus in the brainstem.
28
What is the superior olive responsible for?
It helps localize sound by integrating signals from both ears.
29
What is the primary auditory cortex (A1)?
The brain region that processes auditory information, located in the temporal lobe.
30
What is conductive hearing loss?
Hearing loss due to problems in transmitting sound through the outer or middle ear.
31
What is sensorineural hearing loss?
Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea or auditory nerve.
32
What is presbycusis?
Age-related hearing loss, primarily affecting high frequencies.
33
What is hidden hearing loss?
A hearing impairment where normal hearing thresholds exist, but auditory nerve damage causes difficulty hearing in noisy environments.
34
How do hearing aids work?
They amplify sounds while avoiding excessive amplification of already loud noises.
35
What are cochlear implants?
Electronic devices that directly stimulate the auditory nerve to restore hearing in deaf individuals.
36
What is the difference between high-spontaneous and low-spontaneous auditory nerve fibers?
High-spontaneous fibers are sensitive to low-intensity sounds but saturate quickly, while low-spontaneous fibers require higher intensities but retain selectivity.
37
What is phase locking in auditory nerve fibers?
It is when neurons fire at a specific point in the cycle of a sound wave, helping encode frequency information.
38
What is temporal coding?
A process where the timing of auditory nerve firing represents the frequency of a sound wave.
39
What is the role of the medial geniculate nucleus (MGN)?
It is a relay station in the thalamus that transmits auditory signals from the inferior colliculus to the auditory cortex.
40
What is the difference between afferent and efferent auditory nerve fibers?
Afferent fibers send sound information to the brain, while efferent fibers send signals from the brain to adjust cochlear responses.
41
How does the stapedius muscle protect the ear?
It contracts in response to loud sounds, reducing ossicle movement to protect the inner ear (acoustic reflex).
42
What is two-tone suppression?
When a second tone reduces the firing rate of an auditory nerve fiber responding to a first tone.
43
Why do outer hair cells affect hearing sensitivity?
They fine-tune frequency selectivity and amplify weak sounds via the cochlear amplifier.
44
What is the difference between fundamental frequency and harmonics?
The fundamental frequency is the lowest frequency in a sound, while harmonics are integer multiples of it.
45
How does the place code theory explain pitch perception?
It states that different parts of the basilar membrane respond to different frequencies, creating a tonotopic map in the cochlea.
46
What is rate-intensity function?
A graph showing how an auditory nerve fiber’s firing rate changes with increasing sound intensity.
47
How does background noise affect hidden hearing loss?
People with hidden hearing loss struggle to understand speech in noisy environments due to damaged auditory nerve fibers.
48
What is the volley principle in auditory perception?
Multiple neurons fire at different points in a sound wave cycle, allowing the brain to encode higher frequencies.
49
What is the function of the parabelt area in the auditory cortex?
It processes complex sounds and integrates cross-modal sensory information.
50
What is otitis media?
A middle ear infection that can cause conductive hearing loss by filling the ear with fluid.
51
What is otosclerosis?
A condition where abnormal bone growth impairs the movement of the ossicles, leading to conductive hearing loss.
52
What is the difference between presbycusis and noise-induced hearing loss?
Presbycusis is age-related hearing loss, while noise-induced hearing loss results from prolonged exposure to loud sounds.
53
What part of the cochlea processes high-frequency sounds?
The base of the cochlea, near the oval window.
54
What part of the cochlea processes low-frequency sounds?
The apex, which is wider and more flexible.
55
How do cochlear implants work?
They bypass damaged hair cells and directly stimulate the auditory nerve with electrical signals.
56
Why do hearing aids need to be carefully calibrated?
Over-amplification can cause discomfort or further hearing damage.
57
What is the role of the inferior colliculus in auditory processing?
It integrates sound localization information and relays it to the thalamus.
58
What is the role of the superior olive?
It compares sound input from both ears to determine sound direction.
59
How do we perceive the pitch of missing fundamentals?
The brain reconstructs the fundamental frequency from harmonics, even if the fundamental itself is absent.
60
What is the difference between auditory nerve tuning curves at low vs. high intensities?
At low intensities, tuning is sharp and frequency-selective; at high intensities, tuning broadens due to rate saturation.

Perception 2.0 (9 decks)

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