(4) 1.13 Hearing

Synesthesia

A condition in which one type of sensory stimulus evokes a secondary response.

Audition

The sense or act of hearing.

Amplitude

Determines loudness.

Waves

Long waves = low frequency & low pitch; Short waves = high frequency & high pitch.

Cochlea

Coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through fluid trigger nerve impulses.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves.

Conduction Hearing Loss

Damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea.

Cochlear Implant

Devices for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerves.

short: convert sound into electrical signals & stimulate auditory nerves

Place Theory

Higher and lower tones excite specific areas of the cochlea.

Frequency Theory

Rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of the tone.

Volley Theory

Neural cells can alternate firing.

Sound Localization

Ability to discover the location of sound waves based on things like intensity & timing.