Auditory Physiology, Assessment, and Sound Properties Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards generated from lecture notes covering audiologic assessment, hearing loss types, EBP, interprofessional collaboration, and basic properties of sound.

Conductive Hearing Loss (CHL)

A type of hearing loss resulting from damage or lesion in the outer or middle ear, characterized by a loss by air conduction, normal bone conduction thresholds, and a $15\,\text{dB}$ air-bone gap.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL)

A type of hearing loss resulting from damage in the inner ear or 8th cranial nerve, characterized by a loss by air conduction and bone conduction without a $15\,\text{dB}$ air-bone gap.

Mixed Hearing Loss

A type of hearing loss with both conductive and sensorineural components, characterized by losses in both air and bone conduction along with a significant $15\,\text{dB}$ air-bone gap.

The Cross-Check Principle

The clinical rule stating that no single diagnostic measure is used in isolation, and every finding should be corroborated by at least one independent test before making a clinical decision.

Sensitivity

The measure of how good a test is at correctly identifying individuals who have a specific condition; lower sensitivity leads to more false negatives.

Specificity

The measure of how good a test is at correctly identifying individuals who do not have a specific condition; higher specificity results in fewer false positives.

PICO

A framework used to frame clinical questions in evidence-based practice, standing for Population (P), Intervention (I), Comparison (C), and Outcome (O).

Otoscopy

A physical examination of the pinna and external auditory canal to identify abnormalities that could affect audiologic tests.

Interprofessional Practice (IPP)

An intentional approach to collaboration that aims to help professionals from different disciplines learn about, from, and with each other to improve outcomes.

Interprofessional Education (IPE)

An educational approach where students from two or more training programs work together to learn with, from, and about each other to develop skills for effective teamwork.

Condensation

A phase of sound wave propagation in which air molecules are pushed close together, producing high pressure.

Rarefaction

A phase of sound wave propagation in which air molecules are pulled further apart, producing low pressure.

Presbycusis

Age-related hearing loss.

Fundamental Frequency ($f_0$)

The lowest frequency component of a periodic complex sound, also known as the first harmonic, which usually determines primary pitch.

Harmonic

Sinusoidal components of a periodic complex sound whose frequencies are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency ($f_0$).

Octave

An interval corresponding to a doubling of frequency.

Gaussian Noise

Aperiodic noise whose instantaneous amplitudes follow a normal (Gaussian) distribution with a mean of approximately zero.

White Noise

Aperiodic noise that has equal average power across all frequencies and random phase relationships.

Spectrum Level

The average power of a sound signal within a $1\,\text{Hz}$ bandwidth.

Sound Pressure Level ($\text{dB SPL}$)

A logarithmic measure of sound pressure defined as $20 \times \log_{10}\left(\frac{P_{\text{measured}}}{P_{\text{reference}}}\right)$, where the reference pressure is $20\,\mu\text{Pa}$.

Sensation Level ($\text{dB SL}$)

A expression of sound level representing the number of decibels above an individual's absolute threshold.

Beating

Periodic fluctuations in amplitude perceived as loudness variations, occurring when two sinusoids of similar frequencies ($f_1$ and $f_2$) are summed at a rate equal to $f_2 - f_1$.

Amplitude Modulation

A complex signal produced when the amplitude of a carrier frequency ($f_c$) is varied over time by a modulating signal ($f_m$), creating sidebands at $f_c + f_m$ and $f_c - f_m$.

Ramping

The gradual increase and decrease in amplitude at signal onset and offset to minimize spectral side-lobes and splatter.

Bandpass Filter

A filter that attenuates frequencies above a high cutoff frequency and below a low cutoff frequency, allowing middle frequencies to pass.

Bandstop Filter

A filter that removes or attenuates frequencies that lie between its low and high cutoff frequencies.

Pure-Tone Average (PTA)

The average of pure-tone hearing thresholds at $500\,\text{Hz}$, $1000\,\text{Hz}$, and $2000\,\text{Hz}$, used to corroborate with Speech Recognition Threshold (SRT).

Deaf (Big "D")

A socio-cultural term that refers to deaf individuals who identify with Deaf culture/community and use American Sign Language (ASL).