Module 4.3 - The Auditory System

Question 1

what pushes air molecules together and apart in waves?

Answer 1

objects vibrating pushes air molecules together and apart in waves

Question 2

what are the 2 functions of the human ear

Answer 2

1) to detect sound waves (sensation)

2) transform that information into neural signals (leading to perception)

Question 3

frequency

Answer 3

a measure of wavelength reflecting the number of cycles a sound wave travels per second

Question 4

what is frequency measured in?

Answer 4

Hertz (Hz)

Question 5

pitch

Answer 5

the perceptual experience of sound wave frequencies

Question 6

true or false: humans detect sounds from 20 - 20,000 Hz

Answer 6

True

Question 7

amplitude

Answer 7

an element of a sound wave that determines its loudness

Question 8

whats louder: high amplitude sound waves or low amplitude sound waves?

Answer 8

high amplitude sound waves are louder than low amplitude sound waves

Question 9

what is loudness measured in?

Answer 9

Decibels (dB)

Question 10

Timbre

Answer 10

the complexity of the sound. most natural sounds are complex, consisting of several different frequencies of vibration

Question 11

what causes the basilar membrane to flex?

Answer 11

vibrations

Question 12

what happens when the basilar membrane flexes?

Answer 12

it displaces fluid, which causes cilia to move. This movement stimulates auditory nerve fibers

Question 13

cilia

Answer 13

hair like cells

Question 14

true or false: cilia is arranged in rows from tallest to shortest

Answer 14

FALSE: cilia is arranged in rows from shortest to tallest

Question 15

tip links

Answer 15

elastic filaments connecting groups of cilia in the cochlea

Question 16

true or false: tip links are normally slightly stretched

Answer 16

true

Question 17

does moving the bundle of cilia towards the tallest one increase or decrease the rate of firing

Answer 17

moving the bundle of cilia towards the tallest one increases the rate of firing

Question 18

does moving the bundle of cilia towards the shortest one increase of decrease the rate of firing?

Answer 18

moving the bundle of cilia towards the shortest one decreases the rate of firing

Question 19

what 3 places does the auditory nerve project to?

Answer 19

1) brainstem nuclei
2) the medial geniculate nucleus of the thalamus
3) the primary and secondary auditory corticles

Question 20

sound localization

Answer 20

the process of identifying where sound comes from; it is handled by parts of the brainstem and the inferior colliculus

Question 21

sound can be localized by means of? (3 things)

Answer 21

1) arrival time differences between ears
2) phase differences between ears
3) intensity differences between ears

Question 22

sound shadow

Answer 22

intensity differences between ears

Question 23

volley principle

Answer 23

groups of neurons fire in an alternating fashion, thus allowing the frequencies higher than 1000Hz (the max vibration rate of the basilar membrane) to be perceived

Question 24

do loud stimuli or quiet stimuli cause the tympanic membrane to vibrate more?

Answer 24

very loud stimuli

Question 25

true or false: a higher rate of neural firing is associated with a louder stimuli

Answer 25

true

Question 26

primary auditory cortex

Answer 26

a major perceptual centre of the brain involved in perceiving what we hear

Question 27

tonotopic organization

Answer 27

different areas of the auditory cortex respond to different frequencies

Question 28

secondary auditory cortex

Answer 28

a temporal lobe region that helps us to interpret complex sounds, including those found in speech and music

Question 29

is the right or left hemisphere slightly more sensitive?

Answer 29

the right hemisphere is slightly more sensitive

Question 30

________ are involved in the detection of musical beats

Answer 30

basal ganglia

Question 31

patients with _____ damage could not tell that musical pieces were scary

Answer 31

amygdala damage

Question 32

what musical impairments are there with parkinsons disease?

Answer 32

detection of musical beats

Question 33

what are the 3 functions of the vestibular system?

Answer 33

1) maintaining balance 2) maintaining the head in an upright position 3) adjusting eye movements to compensate for head movements

Question 34

vestibular sacs/otolith organs

Answer 34

structures that respond to the force gravity and that provide information about the heads orientation

Question 35

semicircular canals

Answer 35

structures that respond to angular acceleration (changes in the rotation of the head)

Question 36

3 canals detect acceleration in different directions which are:

Answer 36

up-down, left-right, forward-backward