Hearing Science Fundamentals - Key Terms and Concepts

Flashcards covering essential vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on hearing science fundamentals.

Audiogram

A graphical representation of a patient's hearing sensitivity across a range of frequencies.

Auditory threshold

The minimal level of sound that can be detected by an individual.

Minimum Auditory Pressure (MAP)

A measure of auditory sensitivity when using earphones.

Minimum Audible Field (MAF)

A measure of auditory sensitivity when testing in a sound field.

Psychophysical methods

Techniques used to relate physical properties of stimuli to sensory perception.

Temporal integration function

A measure of how sensitivity changes with duration of a stimulus.

Presbycusis

Age-related hearing loss typically affecting higher frequencies.

Head shadow effect

The reduction of sound level at the ear further away from a sound source due to the head blocking sound.

Masking

A process where the threshold of one sound is raised by the presence of another sound.

Diffusion

The scattering of sound waves due to reflections from surfaces.

Reverberation

Prolonged sound caused by multiple reflections off surfaces in an environment.

Interaural time differences (ITD)

The difference in arrival times of sound between two ears, aiding in localization.

Bone conduction

The transmission of sound to the inner ear through the skull bones.

Sociocusis

Hearing loss related to environmental factors and lifestyle.

False-positive response

An inaccurate identification where an individual claims to detect a sound that is not present.

Tracking threshold

The sensitivity level across frequencies as a subject adjusts stimulus parameters.

Two-alternative forced-choice procedure

A method where a listener chooses between two alternatives to determine sensitivity.

Lateralization

The ability to perceive the origin of a sound source in space.

Normal hearing range

The range of frequencies that can be heard by individuals with no hearing impairment.

Bone conduction subtypes

inertial, compressional, and osseotympanic.

Threshold shift

The difference in decibels (dB) between a signal threshold with and without a masking sound.

Critical bands

Frequency ranges that contribute to the masking of signals in auditory perception.

Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)

The ratio of the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise.

Method of limits

A psychophysical method where the examiner alters stimulus intensity to determine detection.

Differential sensitivity

The ability to perceive small changes in a stimulus parameter.

Gap detection threshold

The shortest duration of silence that a listener can detect in an auditory signal.

Phon

Unit of measurement for perceived loudness, based on matching tones to a 1 kHz reference.

Sone

A unit of perceived loudness indicating how much louder one sound is relative to another.

Mel scale

A scale that quantifies pitch perception, where equal pitch distances are not directly proportional to frequency.

Difference tone

A perceived tone that results from the combination of two other tones at different frequencies.

Upward spread of masking

Phenomenon where low-frequency sounds mask higher frequencies more readily than vice versa.

Two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) procedure

Listener selects between two options to establish a detection threshold.

Timbre

The quality or color of sound that differentiates between different types of sound sources.

Normal hearing

Generally defined as the ability to hear sounds across a specific frequency range without loss.

Anatomical structures involved in hearing

Outer ear, middle ear, inner ear, cochlea, auditory nerve.

Head-related transfer function (HRTF)

The change of sound that occurs when sound waves interact with the human head and ears.

Masking level difference (MLD)

The change in the effectiveness of masking due to phase differences in signals received by the ears.

Intonation

The variation of pitch while speaking, contributing to the semantic meaning.

Tone quality

Describes the characteristics of sound that differentiate between sources.

Perceptual learning

The ability of the auditory system to adapt to changes in acoustic environments.

Hearing conservation program

A strategy to prevent hearing loss in noisy environments.

Onset time

The time it takes for a sound to reach its peak amplitude after being initiated.

Loudness perception

Threshold response to sound intensity, measured in terms of phons and sones.

Decibel scale

A logarithmic scale used to measure sound intensity level.

Interval scale

A type of measurement without a true zero point, allowing for comparison of differences.

Ordinal scale

A ranking system that shows order but not precise differences in quantities.