Auditory Sensory System Notes

Frequency

The number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time.

Pitch

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

Amplitude

The amplitude of sound waves determines the perceived loudness.

Decibels

The unit used to measure sound; 0 decibels represents the absolute threshold for hearing.

Middle ear

The chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum.

Cochlea

A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear that triggers nerve impulses.

Sensorineural hearing loss

The most common form of hearing loss, caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or the auditory nerve.

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.

Place Theory

A theory in hearing that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated.

Frequency Theory

A theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone.

Volley Theory

Supports frequency theory by suggesting that neural cells can alternate firing.

Auditory nerve

Carries neural messages from the cochlea to the thalamus and to the auditory cortex in the brain's temporal lobe.

Loudness perception

Interpreted by the brain from the number of activated hair cells.

Location perception

If a sound is coming from one side, the ear on that side receives a more intense sound sooner than the other ear.