Module 24: Psychology for the AP Course

Audition

The sense or act of hearing.

Frequency

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

Pitch

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

Place Theory

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

Frequency Theory

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

Conduction Hearing Loss

Hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness.

Middle Ear

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

Cochlea

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses

Inner Ear

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

cochlear implant

a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea

Volley Theory

the idea that groups of neurons in the auditory system fire in rapid succession, taking turns, to collectively encode and transmit information about high-frequency sounds, effectively allowing the brain to perceive pitches beyond the firing rate of a single neuron

Amplitude

the strength or intensity of a wave, most commonly used in the context of sound waves, where a higher amplitude corresponds to a louder sound; essentially, it represents the "height" of a wave, measured from its peak to its resting point

Sound Waves

refer to fluctuations in air pressure that travel through a medium, detected by the ear, and interpreted by the brain as sound