Unit 4: Modules 20-21 Flashcards
The number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time (for example, per second)
Frequency
A tone’s experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency
Pitch
The chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window
Middle ear
A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses
Cochlea
The innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs
Inner ear
Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; the most common form of hearing loss, also called nerve deafness
Cochlear implants convert sounds into electrical signals (electrodes are threaded into cochlea)
Sensorineural hearing loss
A less common form of hearing loss, caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
Cannot conduct vibrations - sounds aren’t loud enough, happens in middle to inner ear
Conduction hearing loss
A device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea
Cochlear implant
In hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated
Place theory
In hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch (also called temporal theory)
Frequency theory
The theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The “gate” is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain.
Gate-control theory
The sense of smell
Olfaction
Our movement sense - our system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts
Kinesthesia
Our sense of body movement and position that enables our sense of balance
Vestibular sense
The principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste
Sensory interaction
