Hearing and Other Senses

Audition

The sense or act of hearing.

Frequency

Number of sound wave cycles per second; determines pitch

Pitch

A tone’s highness or lowness; depends on frequency.

Middle ear

Chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones that amplify sound.

Cochlea

Fluid-filled tube in the inner ear where sound waves trigger nerve impulses

Inner ear

Contains the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs; responsible for hearing and balance.

Sensorineural hearing loss

Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or auditory nerve.

Conduction hearing loss

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

Cochlear implant

Device that converts sounds into electrical signals to stimulate the auditory nerve.

Place theory

Different sound frequencies stimulate different places on the cochlea’s membrane.

Frequency theory

Pitch is determined by the frequency of neural impulses traveling to the brain.

Gate-control theory

The spinal cord contains a “gate” that can block or allow pain signals to pass to the brain.

Kinesthesia

The system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts

Vestibular sense

The sense of body movement and balance, located in the inner ear

Sensory interaction

When one sense influences another (like smell affecting taste).

Embodied cognition

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