lab two - ears

what are the three general regions of the ear?

external, middle, and inner

the pinna of the ear consists of what two main parts?

the helix and lobule

the ear is what kind of receptor?

a mechanoreceptor

the ear performs two major sensory functions, what are they?

hearing and balance

what structure separates the external ear from the middle ear?

the tympanic membrane

name the three ear ossicles

malleus, incus, and stapes

what is the function of the cochlea?

hearing

what area is found between the scala vestibuli and the scala tympani?

scala media (cochlear duct)

what is the name of the nerve that takes information about balance and hearing to the brain?

vestibulocochlear nerve

what units are used to measure sound energy?

decibels

what part of the inner ear is involved in perceiving static balance?

vestibule

name the parts of the ear that might be impaired if a person demonstrates conduction deafness

damage to the tympanic membrane or ossicles

what two diagnostic tests are used to determine conduction deafness?

weber test and rinne test

what is the name of the tube that runs from the auricle to the tympanic membrane?

external auditory meatus

the auditory tube connects what two cavities?

tympanic cavity to the nasopharynx

what tube is responsible for the equalization of pressure when you change elevation?

auditory tube

what is the name of the space that encloses the ear ossicles?

tympanic cavity

place the ear ossicles in sequence from the tympanic membrane to the oval window

malleus, incus, and stapes

name all the parts of the inner ear

cochlea, vestibule, and semicircular canals

Background noise affects hearing tests. In ticking watch test or audiometer test, what kind of result, in terms of auditory sensitivity, would you have recorded if moderate background noise were present?

Not able to perceive sound as easily; therefore, test would indicate more hearing loss than actually present

In the Weber test, the ear that perceives the sound as being louder is the deaf ear. Why is this the case?

Conduction deafness leads to an increased sensitivity of the cochlear apparatus which picks up sound from vibration through the skull bones. Vibrations pass through the skull to temporal bone. The hearing impaired ear would be more sensitive to this perception of sound than an ear where sound is transmitted through the tympanic membrane.