psych of perception chapter 11

Question 1

sound

Answer 1

Physical definition: Sound is pressure changes in the air or other medium.
Perceptual definition: Sound is the experience we have when we hear.

Question 2

condensation

Answer 2

increase in pressure

Question 3

rarefaction

Answer 3

decrease in pressure

Question 4

sound wave

Answer 4

pattern of air pressure changes, which travels through air at 340 meters per second (1500m/s in water)

Question 5

pure tone

Answer 5

A pure tone occurs when pressure changes in the air occur in a pattern described by a mathematical function called a sine wave

Question 6

amplitude

Answer 6

difference in pressure between high and low peaks of wave
* perception of amplitude is known as loudness

Question 7

decibel dB

Answer 7

measure of loudness

Question 8

frequency

Answer 8

number of cycles within a given time period

the number of times per second that the pressure changes repeat

*indicated in units called Hertz, in which 1 Hz is 1 cycle per second

Question 9

fundamental frequency

Answer 9

repetition rate of a complex tone and is called the first harmonic

Question 10

additive synthesis

Answer 10

important property of periodic complex tones is that they consist of a number of pure tones. Because of this, we can “build” a complex tone by using a technique called addi- tive synthesis, in which a number of sine-wave components are added together to create the complex tone

Question 11

audibility curve

Answer 11

indicates the threshold for hearing determined by free-field presentation (listening to a loud- speaker) versus frequency

shows the threshold of hearing in relation to frequency

Question 12

auditory response area

Answer 12

falls between the audibility curve and the threshold for
feeling

Question 13

equal loudness curves

Answer 13

these curves indicate the number of decibels that create the same perception of loudness at different frequencies.

equal loudness curve is determined by presenting a standard tone of one frequency and dB level and having a listener adjust the level of tones with frequencies across the range of hearing to match the loudness of the standard

Question 14

pitch

Answer 14

the perceptual quality we describe as high and low

Question 15

timbre

Answer 15

Timbre is the quality that distinguishes between two tones that have the same loudness, pitch, and duration, but still sound different

Question 16

outer ear

Answer 16

pinna and auditory canal

Question 17

auditory canal

Answer 17

about 3 cm long tubelike structure that protects the tympanic membrane (eardrum) of the middle ear from the hazards of the outside world

Question 18

pinna

Answer 18

helps with location of a sound

Question 19

middle ear

Answer 19

two cubic centimeter cavity separating inner from outer ear
malleus, incus, stapes

Question 20

malleus

Answer 20

moves due to vibration of the tympanic membrane

Question 21

incus

Answer 21

transmits vibrations of malleus

Question 22

stapes

Answer 22

transmits vibrations of incus to the inner ear via the oval window of the cochlea

Question 23

resonance

Answer 23

resonance occurs in the auditory canal when sound waves that are reflected back from the closed end of the au- ditory canal interact with sound waves that are entering the canal

Question 24

why are ossicles necessary?

Answer 24

both the outer ear and middle ear are filled with air, but the inner ear contains a watery liquid that is much denser than the air
the mismatch between the low density of the air and the high density of this liquid creates a problem: pressure changes in the air are transmitted poorly to the much denser liquid

Question 25

inner ear

Answer 25

cochlea (scala vestibuli and scala tympani)

Question 26

cochlea

Answer 26

fluid-filled snail-like structure (35 mm long) set into vibration by the stapes

Question 27

organ of Corti

Answer 27

place were transduction of the sound energy to nerve firings

Question 28

phase locking

Answer 28

the tendency of a neuron to fire action potentials at particular phases of an ongoing periodic sound waveform

Question 29

place theory of hearing

Answer 29

states that the frequency of a sound is indicated by the place along the cochlea at which nerve firing is highest
- frequency of sound is indicated by the place on the organ of Corti that has the highest firing rate

Question 30

physical properties of the basilar membrane

Answer 30

three to four times narrower then at the apex
100 times stiffer than at the apex

Question 31

Tonotopic map

Answer 31

orderly map of frequencies along the length of the cochlea

• Apex responds best to low frequencies.
• Base responds best to high frequencie

Question 32

SONIC MG

Answer 32

SON superior olivary nucleus
IC inferior colliculus
MG medial geniculate nucleus

Question 33

presbycusis

Answer 33

hearing loss among old people
* greatest loss at high frequencies