Unit 10 Flashcards
Why is hearing an important part of perception?
relies on auditory perception, not light
-> provides information about objects that may be invisible
What are the benefits of hearing?
sound my indicate presence of predator before he can be seen
-> evolutional advantage
adds richness to our lives
-> enjoying music, communication
What does the distal stimulus produce in auditory perception?
pressure changes in the air
How is a sound stimulus produced?
movement or vibrations of an object cause pressure changes in the air
sound wave
doesn’t consist of air molecules moving
-> air molecules move backwards and forwards
-> push changes toward observer
How can sound waves be described?
sine wave
How can sound waves be measured?
frequency
amplitude
Frequency
number of cycles completed in a second
measured in hertz (Hz)
1 Hz = one cycle
Amplitude
difference between high and low peaks
measured in decibels (Db)
High frequencies and amplitudes
High frequencies ->generally result in higher pitch
High amplitudes -> generally result in greater loudness
What does loudness depend on?
frequency and amplitude
high amplitude is usually louder, but it also depends on the frequency
0 db -> barely noticeable
120 db -> possible hearing damage
How is the correlation between frequencies and amplitudes demonstated?
audibility curve
Which range of frequency do humans perceive?
–20 - –20.000 HZ
What does the audibility curve describe?
relationship between amplitude and frequency
-> baseline of loudness
Which frequency do we hear the easiest?
2.000 - 4.000 Hz
-> range of speech
Auditory response area
range we can hear
-> anything below threshold of hearing: not perceivable
-> above threshold of feeling (upper boundary): discomfort and maybe damage
Equal loudness curve
indicates sound levels that create same perception of loudness at different frequencies
demonstrates that amplitude alone doesnt necessarily result in greater loudness
How can we conceptualise pitch in terms of music?
Sounds of different pitch occupy different positions of music scale