Chapter 10 - Hearing and Speaking

Question 1

What does frequency, amplitude, and complexity all correspond to in perception?

Answer 1

• Frequency = pitch
• Amplitude = loudness
• Complexity = timbre/sound quality

Question 2

How do we perceive a 10dB increase in amplitude?

Answer 2

• Makes noises sound 10X louder

Question 3

What parts constitute the outer, middle, and inner ear?

Answer 3

• Outer - Pinna, external ear canal
• Middle - Eardrum, ossicles (hammer, anvil, stirrup), oval window
• Inner - cochlea (contains the organ of corti)

Question 4

Which part of the organ of corti are the auditory cell receptors?

Answer 4

• The inner hair cells

Question 5

What’s the purpose of the cilia?

Answer 5

• They come in contact with the tectorial membrane when vibrations are sent through the cochlear fluid
• The bending of the cilia generates neural activity in the hair cells
• Graded potentials are generated when they bend

Question 6

What is the spatial arrangement of frequencies on the basilar membrane?

Answer 6

• Higher frequencies are tuned to the narrow, thick base
• The wide, thin apex is tuned to lower frequencies

Question 7

What’s the purpose of outer hair cells?

Answer 7

• Alter the stiffness of the tectorial membrane

Question 8

What do inner hair cells synapse with?

Answer 8

• Bipolar cells

Question 9

Which directions of cilia movement cause hyperpolarization and depolarization?

Answer 9

• Movement towards the tallest cilia - depolarization via stretch-activated calcium channels
• Movement towards shortest cilia - hyperpolarization

Question 10

What nucleus in the thalamus is responsible for audition?

Answer 10

• The medial geniculate nucleus.

Question 11

What’s Wernicke’s area?

Answer 11

• Found in temporal lobe and regulates speech comprehension
• Also called the posterior speech zone

Question 12

What’s another name for A1?

Answer 12

• Heschl’s gyrus

Question 13

Which hemispheres specialize in which language and audition roles?

Answer 13

• Left hemisphere - special role in auditory analysis of speech (Wernicke’s area is larger in this hemisphere)
• Right hemisphere - Special role in analyzing music (Heschl’s gyrus is larger in this hemishpere)

Question 14

How is loudness coded at the neural level?

Answer 14

• bipolar cells fire at a higher rate when stimulus has louder amplitude

Question 15

What’s broca’s area?

Answer 15

• More anterior than Wernicke’s area
• functions with the motor cortex to produce movements needed for speaking (i.e., language production)

Question 16

What’s the arcuate fasciculus?

Answer 16

• White matter tract that connects Wernicke’s and Broca’s area

Question 17

What’s Broca’s aphasia?

Answer 17

• Inability to speak fluently despite the presence of normal comprehension and intact vocal mechanisms
• Still able to read
• Can be very frustrating
• Seen in stroke patients
• Can communicate via singing or using an object board

Question 18

What’s Wernicke’s aphasia?

Answer 18

• Inability to understand or produce meaningful language even though word production maintains intact (gibberish)
• Often ignorant of their own condition
• Hard to treat, not a ton of treatment options