CHAPTER 4.4 READING GUIDE:
Name: ____________________________
The Auditory System: Hearing
1. How is the auditory system ‘like’ vision? What is the
difference in terms of the sensory input?
Figure 4.41 (a): What characteristic of
sound do the ‘wrinkles’ in the waves
relate to? _________________ What
does the wrinkle say about that sound?
_______________ What is an example
of something that is smooth (no
wrinkle)? ________________________
Physical Properties of Sound
2. What exactly are these waves that turn into the sounds
we hear? What are two ways that they can be generated?
Related
Perceptions
3. What is the relationship between frequency and high C and low C on
the piano? How do we perceive these differently?
4. Humans hear sounds between the frequencies of __________ and _______________. ________________
____________________ can hear them under _________, while ___________ and _____________________
can hear them well above ________________________.
5. If frequency is measured in ______________ (______), then
amplitude is measured in _______________ (_____). If amplitude
and loudness are related, but not the same, what is the
difference?
6. Besides amplitude (loudness), what is a factor for absolute
thresholds for hearing? At which of these is the human ear most
sensitive? How does that relate specifically to absolute
threshold?
Figure 4.42: What two things combine
to determine thresholds for human
hearing? _________________ and
___________________. However,
thresholds for pain are almost based
solely on: ____________________.
Using the graph, what is the threshold
for hearing at 110Hz? ______________
What is the lowest threshold? _______
What frequency is that at? __________
What is the threshold for pain at that
frequency? _____________
7. How is sound conducted in the outer ear? The middle ear? The inner ear? What happens after that?
8. How are sound waves, the auditory canal and the eardrum related? What effectively do the hammer, the
anvil and the stirrup do with their three-stage lever system?
9. What can we compare the ear’s neural tissue with? We can find this neural tissue within what part of the
inner ear? Running the entire length of this part, what does the neural tissue sit on?
10. What are the auditory receptors we find on the basilar
membrane? How are they stimulated? What do they do that is
similar to the rods and cones of the eye?
11. Summarize von Helmholtz’ place theory. How does the
brain perceive pitch according to this theory?
12. Summarize frequency theory. How does the brain perceive
pitch according to this theory?
Figure 4.43: Waves of air cause what to
vibrate? __________________ This
causes what to oscillate (move back
and forth? ___________ __________
What does this cause in the liquid
medium of the cochlea? ____________
____________. Once the basilar
membrane oscillating, this stimulates
what? _________ __________ These
are actually ____________________
__________________________
Figure 4.44: Finish reading the section
and answering #14 first. What does
frequency theory correctly predict
about the basilar membrane? _______
________________________________
____________________ ;the peaking of
the wave at a certain point is suggested
by: ______________ ______________
13. To what can you compare the competition between place and frequency theories? How is our
understanding of each of these two sets of once-contradictory theories similar today?
14. What detail suggested by frequency theory did Helmholtz miss? What did he get right?