20-21 Module

Audition

The sense or act of hearing.

Frequency

The number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time (e.g., per second).

Pitch

A tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency.

Middle Ear

The chamber between the eardrum and cochlea, containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate vibrations on the cochlea's oval window.

Cochlea

A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves travel through the cochlear fluid and trigger nerve impulses.

Inner Ear

The innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or auditory nerves; the most common form of hearing loss (also called nerve deafness).

Conduction Hearing Loss

A less common form of hearing loss, caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea.

Cochlear Implant

A device that converts sounds into electrical signals and stimulates the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea.

Place Theory

The theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated.

Frequency Theory

The theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, enabling us to sense its pitch.

Gate-Control Theory

The theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological 'gate' that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass to the brain.

Kinesthesia

Our movement sense; the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts.

Vestibular Sense

Our sense of body movement and position, enabling balance.

Olfaction

The sense of smell.

Sensory Interaction

The principle that one sense may influence another, such as when the smell of food influences its taste.

Embodied Cognition

The influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgments.