Chapter 4: Sensation and Perception Flashcards
(82 cards)
Sound Waves
Changes in air pressure
Pure tone
Simple sound wave that consists of regularly alternating regions of higher and lower air pressure, radiating outwards in all direction from the source.
Three dimension of Sound waves
Frequency, amplitude and complexity.
Frequency
the repetition rate of the sound wave depends on how often the peak in air pressure passes the ear. Perceived as the pitch: how high or low a sound is.
Amplitude
The intensity relative to the threshold for human hearing.
Loudness
The perception of a sounds intensity.
Complexity
Mixture of frequencies, influences perception of timbre.
Timbre
The quality of sound that allows you to distinguish two sources with the same pitch and loudness.
Outer Ear
Collects sound waves and funnels them towards the middle ear. The pinna, the auditory canal, and the eardrum.
The Middle Ear
A tiny, air-filled chamber behind the ear drum with the ossicles.
Ossicles
Mechanically transmits and amplifies vibrations in fluid waves, from the eardrum to inner ear by pushing against the oval window.
The inner ear
The cochlea, basilar membrane, and hair cells.
Cochlea
A fluid filled tube that contains cells that transduce sound vibrations into neural impulses.
Basilar Membrane
A structure in the inner ear that moves up and down in time with vibrations related from the ossicles, transmitted through the oval window. Where the sound hits indicates its frequency.
Place code
The brain uses information about the relative activity across the whole basilar membrane to help determine the pitch you hear.
Timbre
The relative amounts of different frequency components, relative activity of hair cells across the whole basilar membrane.
Temporal Code
The brain uses the timing of the action potentials in the auditory nerve to help determine the pitch you hear.
Conductive Hearing Loss
The eardrum or ossicles are damaged to the point that they cannot conduct sound waves to the cochlea.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Damage to the cochlea, hair cells, or the auditory nerve. happens as we age.
Cochlear Implant
Can restore hearing by replacing the function of the hair cells. Stimulate the auditory nerve.
Haptic Perception
The active exploration of the environment by touching and grasping objects with our hands.
Tactile Receptive Field
Small patch of skin that relates information about pain, pressure, texture, pattern, or vibration to a receptor.
A-Delta Fibre
Axons that transmit initial sharp pain.
C Fibres
Slow axons that transmit the longer-lasting, duller persistent pain.