The Ear

Question 1

The ear is composed of?

Answer 1

Bone
Cartilage
Ligament
Tendon

Flexible, though age related changes

Question 2

What level of the speech chain is the ear involved in?

Answer 2

The perception level

The perception level is based around the role of the ear

Question 3

Where does the structure of the ear sit?

Answer 3

Within the temporal bone

Question 4

What is the ears role?

Answer 4

To analyse sound according to changes in frequency across time

Question 5

How do sounds change?

Answer 5

In amplitude and mode of transmission

Question 6

Where to sounds travel through?

Answer 6

Outer, middle, cochlea and auditory tube

Question 7

What does the outer ear do?

Answer 7

Works as a transmitter or receiver- particular shape which can move sound particles to hole of ear

Question 8

What is the outer ear composed of?

Answer 8

The pinna and the auricle

Question 9

What is the auricle made up of?

Answer 9

Cartilage and fat tissue, it is the hole of the ear

Question 10

What does the external auditory meatus contain?

Answer 10

Glands which produce wax

Question 11

What is the external auditory meatus surrounded by?

Answer 11

Cartilage initially and then bone

Question 12

What is the external auditory meatus?

Answer 12

The ear canal

Question 13

What is the ear canal aka external auditory meatus?

Answer 13

A tube or channel- 2 half centimetres long and slightly curved. It filters out any dust and also amplifies sound waves. Conducts partially with high frequency sounds, helps distinguish between fricatives

Conducts sound energy

Question 14

Where does the external auditory meatus end?

Answer 14

At the ear drum tympanic membrane

Question 15

Describe the era drum tympanic membrane

Answer 15

Very thin
Layer of skin
Layer of mucous membrane
Layer of fibrous tissue

Question 16

Ear particles reflect against what?

Answer 16

Tympanic bone like a drum- with higher frequencys different areas of the ear drum vibrate- with this sound is a series of vibrations

Question 17

What is another name for the middle ear?

Answer 17

Tympanic cavity

Question 18

What is the middle ear?

Answer 18

Auditory tube to nasopharynx

Question 19

What is within the tympanic cavity?

Answer 19

A series of bones and a few ligaments

Question 20

What does the middle ear create?

Answer 20

A channel of air between the nasopharynx and the middle ear

Question 21

What is the main job of the tympanic cavity

Answer 21

To deal with the vibrations of the ear drum

Question 22

There are 3 ossicles of the middle ear- what are they?

Answer 22

Malleus aka hammer
Incus aka anvil
Stapes aka stirrup

Question 23

What does ossicle mean?

Answer 23

Tiny bone

Question 24

What does the malleus connect to?

Answer 24

Ear drum

Question 25

The three ossicles connect up and do what?

Answer 25

Act like a lever between the two points

Question 26

What are the ossicles stabilised by?

Answer 26

Ligaments that attach themselves to the wall of the middle ear-they can move and vibrate but we can also use muscles to stop them vibrating-if sound is too loud by using muscles of the middle ear

Question 27

Ossicles increase movement of what?

Answer 27

Muscles

Question 28

Ossicles act as?

Answer 28

Bridge between air movements in the outer ear and fluid movements in the inner ear

Question 29

What are the two jobs of the bones?

Answer 29

Amplify sound waves and also help produce these movements

Question 30

What are the two muscles of the middle ear?

Answer 30

Tensor tympani - reduction of vibration | Stapedius

Question 31

What is the function of the tensor tympani and Stapedius?

Answer 31

Reduce the vibrations of these small bones (ossicles) and tighten them up so they cannot move as freely

Question 32

What is the oval window?

Answer 32

Opening into the middle ear

Question 33

The inner ear (bony labyrinth) is made up of?

Answer 33

Cochlear Ova window Semi-circular canals Vestibule

Question 34

The semi circular canals of the inner ear are fluid contained and have hair cells. What do they signal?

Answer 34

Head movement- responds to movement of the head and sends signal back to brain

Question 35

The cochlear in the inner ear...

Answer 35

Oral window vibrates and this disturbs the fluid within the cochlea which goes into result in vibrations of the floor of cochlea

Question 36

What is the floor of the cochlea?

Answer 36

Basilar membrane- these are what we think of as sensory receptors

Question 37

Movement of hair cells will travel along the auditory nerve to the

Answer 37

Auditory cortex of the brain

Question 38

The floor of the cochlea is a basilar membrane and attaches to

Answer 38

Organ of corti (rows of hair cells)