Deck 9: Hearing: Physiology and Psychoacoustics

Question 1

Which of the following is not an advantage of hearing over vision?

A) Our hearing does not need to adjust to the dark while our vision does.
B) We can hear objects that are behind us.
C) We can hear through barriers that light cannot penetrate.
D) We can tell the distances of objects better with hearing than vision.
E) Our ears are still open when we sleep.

Answer 1

We can tell the distances of objects better with hearing than vision.

Question 2

The amplitude of a sound is the

A) amount of sound energy falling on a unit area.
B) frequency of the sound.
C) magnitude of displacement of a sound pressure wave.
D) psychological aspect of sound related to frequency.
E) pitch.

Answer 2

magnitude of displacement of a sound pressure wave.

Question 3

Refer to the figure.
The bottom portion of the figure depicts the simplest kind of sound, known as a

A) sine wave.
B) simple sound.
C) period.
D) phase.
E) noise.

Answer 3

sine wave.

Question 4

Frequency is usually measured in units called

A) mm.
B) Hz.
C) mL.
D) dB.
E) arcmin.

Question 5

A computer CPU's processing power is measured in Hz (usually giga-Hz, GHz) because it depends on the

A) amount of heat the chip generates.
B) complexity of each operation it performs.
C) amount of electricity it requires.
D) amplitude of the operations it performs.
E) number of operations it performs per second.

Question 6

_______ is the psychological aspect of sound related to perceived intensity or magnitude.

A) Loudness
B) Pitch
C) Frequency
D) Intensity
E) Tone

Question 7

The physical intensity of sound is measured in units called

A) mm.
B) Hz.
C) mL.
D) dB.
E) arcmin.

Question 8

A machine can create 10 lollipops per second. How many Hz is that?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 10
D) 20
E) 100

Question 9

Which sound is the loudest?

A) 2 dB
B) 4 dB
C) 6 dB
D) 8 dB
E) 10 dB

Question 10

_______ is the psychological aspect of sound related mainly to the fundamental frequency.

A) Loudness
B) Pitch
C) Frequency
D) Intensity
E) Tone

Question 11

Which instrument can create a noise with the lowest fundamental frequency?

A) Violin
B) Piccolo
C) Tuba
D) Flute
E) Harp

Question 12

The lowest-frequency component of a complex period sound is its

A) first-order phasic frequency.
B) amplitude.
C) bass.
D) treble.
E) fundamental frequency.

Question 13

A complex sound consists of

A) many sinusoidal components of different frequencies.
B) several cycles.
C) phases.
D) periods originating from the same sinusoidal component.
E) cycles at more than 1000 Hz.

Question 14

Refer to the figure.
This figure depicts the _______ of four different sounds.

A) "high risk" thresholds
B) pain thresholds
C) harmonic spectra
D) normal atmospheric pressure
E) audible range

Question 15

Refer to the figure.
The shapes of each function depicted in this figure determines the _______ of each the four sounds.

A) timbre
B) notes
C) pitch
D) white noise
E) threshold

Question 16

Refer to the figure.
Which two of the sounds listed in this figure would be the most different, in terms of their timbre?

A) Pure tone and tenor saxophone
B) Pure tone and trombone
C) Pure tone and piano
D) Trombone and piano
E) They would all sound the same.

Question 17

Sounds are first collected from the environment by the

A) cochlea.
B) tympanic membrane.
C) ossicles.
D) pinna.
E) ear canal.

Question 18

The purpose of the ear canal is to conduct sound vibrations to the tympanic membrane and

A) prevent damage to the tympanic membrane.
B) dampen loud sounds so they do not damage the inner ear.
C) transduce sound waves into electric signals.
D) provide vestibular feedback to the nervous system.
E) code the amplitude and frequency of sounds.

Question 19

The _______ is a thin sheet of skin at the end of the outer ear canal that vibrates in response to sound.

A) cochlea
B) tympanic membrane
C) ossicle
D) cochlear partition
E) vestibular canal

Question 20

What happens if the ear canal is blocked, as when wearing earplugs?

A) The pinna is no longer be able to collect sounds from the environment.
B) The ossicles within the ear canal are blocked from moving.
C) Sounds echo in the ear canal, making them seem louder.
D) The tympanic membrane vibrates less vigorously.
E) The tympanic membrane shrinks, causing temporary deafness.

Question 21

Which of the following is part of the middle ear?

A) Pinna
B) Ear Canal
C) Malleus
D) Tympanic Membrane
E) Ear Lobe

Question 22

The _______ consists of three tiny bones called ossicles.

A) tympanic membrane
B) middle ear
C) inner ear
D) cochlea
E) outer ear

Question 23

One of the roles of the ossicles is to

A) amplify sounds.
B) muffle sounds.
C) prevent the cochlea from vibrating.
D) transmit sound waves back to the environment.
E) protect the ear canal.

Question 24

What is the correct order of the vibrations from the eardrum as they pass through the ossicles?

A) Incus, malleus, stapes
B) Incus, stapes, malleus
C) Malleus, incus, stapes
D) Malleus, stapes, incus
E) Stapes, incus, malleus

Question 25

The ossicles transfer sound vibrations between the _______ and _______.

A) ear canal; tympanic membrane
B) ear canal; cochlea
C) cochlea; vestibular canal
D) vestibular canal; basilar membrane
E) tympanic membrane; oval window

Question 26

Vibrations transmitted through the tympanic membrane and middle-ear bones cause the _______ to push and pull the flexible window in and out of the vestibular canal at the base of the cochlea.

A) helicotrema
B) basilar membrane
C) round window
D) stapes
E) pinna

Question 27

The acoustic reflex protects the ear from intense sounds by

A) transmitting only low-frequency sounds to the brain.
B) contraction of the stapedius and tensor tympani muscles.
C) opening the oval window to transmit vibrations to the round window.
D) transmitting loud noises back to the ear canal.
E) stiffening the round tympanic membrane.

Question 28

What would happen if you did not have the stapedius and tensor tympani muscles?

A) The vestibular canals would be permanently misaligned, resulting in hearing and equilibrium problems.
B) The cochlea would not be secured in place and might move around.
C) The ear canal would stay permanently open.
D) Loud sounds would cause the ossicles to move too much, potentially causing damage to the inner ear.
E) The ear canal would stay permanently closed.

Question 29

Which of the following is involved in the acoustic reflex that helps to protect the auditory system from extremely loud sounds?

A) Pinna
B) Stapedius
C) Cochlea
D) Oval window
E) Tectorial membrane

Question 30

The tympanic, vestibular, and middle canals are filled with which substance?

A) Muscle
B) Skin
C) Bone
D) Fluid
E) Air

Question 31

Most of the information about sound waves is conveyed to the brain by the

A) outer hair cells.
B) inner hair cells.
C) cochlear membrane.
D) tympanic membrane.
E) oval window.

Question 32

The _______ is where fine changes in sound pressure in the environment are translated into neural signals.

A) outer ear
B) middle ear
C) inner ear
D) tympanic canal
E) oval window

Question 33

The organ of Corti is a structure on the basilar membrane composed of _______ and dendrites of auditory nerve fibers.

A) hair cells
B) tiny bones
C) fluid-filled chambers
D) muscles
E) mucous

Question 34

Refer to the figure.
This figure shows what happens when _______ causes a displacement along the cochlear partition.

A) neural firing
B) the auditory system
C) vibration
D) place code
E) head tilt

Question 35

Which of the following is a spiral structure in the inner ear that has three parallel canals filled with watery fluids?

A) Pinna
B) Tensor tympani
C) Cochlea
D) Ossicle
E) Helicotrema

Question 36

Why is it important for the basilar membrane to move?

A) Movement of the basilar membrane causes hair cells to bend, releasing neurotransmitters.
B) Movement of the basilar membrane causes the ossicles to transmit energy to the oval window, releasing neurotransmitters.
C) Movement of the basilar membrane blocks loud sounds from entering the inner ear, preventing damage to the inner ear structures.
D) Movement of the basilar membrane causes neurons to spike in the ear canal.
E) It's not; the basilar membrane doesn't move.

Question 37

Refer to the figure.
This figure demonstrates how

A) the cochlea produces sounds of different frequencies.
B) sound waves can travel at different speeds.
C) complex sounds are made of simple sounds.
D) the auditory nerve transmits information to the brain.
E) the cochlea is tuned to different frequencies.

Question 38

How is the harmonic spectrum of sound analogous to the color spectrum of light?

A) We have sound-opponent cells in the auditory nerve just like we have color-opponent cells in the optic nerve.
B) Both sound and light perception depend on sensing small molecules in the air, which vibrate at different frequencies.
C) Both sound and light depend on photoreceptors for sensation and perception.
D) Both sounds and lights consist of many different wavelengths that are encoded independently.
E) Both sound and light are processed by the anterior horn of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

Question 39

A(n) _______ is a map plotting the responses of a neuron or fiber to sine waves with varying frequencies at the lowest intensity that will give rise to a response.

A) spectrum
B) isointensity function
C) threshold tuning curve
D) characteristic frequency
E) place code

Question 40

The phenomenon known as two-tone suppression occurs when

A) a second tone of a slightly different frequency is added to the first tone.
B) three tones are heard together.
C) the hair cells are not tuned properly to the particular frequencies heard.
D) several tones are heard at the same time.
E) any more than two tones cannot be heard.

Question 41

Refer to the graph.
Which frequency and volume combination would be most likely to suppress the firing of the 8000-Hz auditory nerve fiber?

A) 500 Hz at 20 dB
B) 500 Hz at 40 dB
C) 1000 Hz at 40 dB
D) 1000 Hz at 70 dB
E) 8000 Hz at 60 dB

Question 42

Rate saturation occurs when a nerve fiber is firing as rapidly as possible and

A) further stimulation cannot increase the firing rate.
B) signal transmission stops because the nerve is firing too rapidly.
C) a second nerve fiber stops firing.
D) a second nerve fiber slows its firing.
E) then slows down.

Question 43

Refer to the graph.
Based on the graph, why would a song sound "muddy" if the volume is turned up really high?

A) Some of the auditory nerve fibers would be overwhelmed by the volume and stop responding to the song.
B) The auditory nerve fibers would respond to a wider range of wavelengths, making individual frequencies in the song less precisely encoded.
C) The increased volume would cause the auditory nerve fibers to become even more selective in terms of which frequencies they respond to.
D) The increased volume would cause the ossicles in the middle ear to "rattle," interfering with sound perception.
E) Louder sounds have an overrepresentation of lower frequencies, which overstimulates the basilar membrane, causing it to induce too much shearing motion on the hair cells in the cochlea.

Question 44

Which of these choices refers to a graph that plots an auditory nerve fiber's firing rate to a wide range of frequencies, all at the same volume?

A) Characteristic frequency
B) Threshold tuning curves
C) Isosensitivity curves
D) Rate-intensity function
E) Weber's law

Question 45

The _______ refers to a graph that plots the firing rate of an auditory nerve fiber in response to a sound of a constant frequency at increasing intensities.

A) threshold tuning curve
B) frequency tuning curve
C) relative amplitude function
D) spike histogram
E) rate-intensity function

Question 46

Refer to the graph.
This graph illustrates the phenomenon of

A) rate saturation.
B) phase locking.
C) spontaneous firing.
D) threshold tuning.
E) characteristic frequency.

Question 47

Refer to the graph.
What change to the sound wave depicted in the top graph would cause the neuron in the bottom graph to fire less often?

A) Increasing the amplitude
B) Decreasing the amplitude
C) Increasing the frequency
D) Decreasing the frequency
E) Increasing both frequency and amplitude.

Question 48

Some auditory nerves fire in synchrony at a particular point in the period of a sound wave, which is called

A) phase locking.
B) place code.
C) rate saturation.
D) threshold tuning.
E) branching.

Question 49

_______ refers to the idea that multiple neurons can provide a temporal code for frequency if each neuron fires first at a distinct point in the period of a sound wave but does not fire on every period.

A) Phase locking
B) Two-tone suppression
C) The volley principle
D) Place code
E) Rate saturation

Question 50

Refer to the figure.
What principle is illustrated in this figure?

A) Two-tone suppression
B) Auditory transduction principle
C) Frequency saturation
D) The volley principle
E) The isointensity principle

Question 51

All auditory nerve fibers initially synapse in the

A) cochlear nucleus.
B) cerebellum.
C) belt area.
D) parabelt area.
E) primary auditory cortex.

Question 52

What is the correct order for the structures through which sound information is transferred from the cochlea to the auditory cortex?

A) Medial geniculate nucleus, superior olive, inferior colliculus
B) Medial geniculate nucleus, inferior colliculus, superior olive
C) Superior olive, medial geniculate nucleus, inferior colliculus
D) Superior olive, inferior colliculus, medial geniculate nucleus
E) Inferior colliculus, medial geniculate nucleus, superior olive

Question 53

The primary auditory cortex (A1) is organized in a _______ manner.

A) center-surround
B) topographic
C) tonotopic
D) rows-and-columns
E) retinotopic

Question 54

The first area within the temporal lobes that is responsible for processing acoustic information is called the

A) lateral auditory cortex.
B) medial auditory cortex.
C) belt area.
D) parabelt area.
E) primary auditory cortex.

Question 55

The belt area has neurons that respond to

A) simple characteristics of sound.
B) more complex characteristics of sound.
C) particular frequencies.
D) low frequencies only.
E) language.

Question 56

_______ is the study of the psychological correlates of the physical dimensions of acoustics.

A) Psychoanalysis
B) Psychophysics
C) Psychoacoustics
D) Psychologies
E) Acoustometrics

Question 57

If you are building a pair of high-tech headphones and want to have the best sound possible for listening to music, what kind of scientist should you hire to help you develop the product?

A) Ophthalmologist
B) Psychoacoustician
C) Audiologist
D) Radiologist
E) Optometrist

Question 58

Refer to the graph.
What is being plotted in this graph?

A) Auditory response curves
B) Equal frequency curves
C) Psychoacoustic threshold curves
D) Equal sound-level curves
E) Equal-loudness curves

Question 59

Refer to the graph.
When you play piano, why might you have to hit the keys harder with your left hand (lower notes) than your right hand (higher notes) to make them sound the same volume?

A) Low-frequency sounds are more condensed, making them sound louder.
B) High-frequency sounds are less condensed, making them sound softer.
C) Higher-frequency tones require higher dB levels to sound the same volume as lower-frequency tones.
D) Lower-frequency tones require higher dB levels to sound the same volume as higher-frequency tones.
E) The audibility threshold curve is lower for low-frequency sounds and higher for high-frequency sounds.

Question 60

_______ is the process by which a sound at a constant level is perceived as being louder when it is of a greater duration.

A) Auditory synthesis
B) Temporal synthesis
C) Auditory analysis
D) Auditory intensification
E) Temporal integration

Question 61

The phenomenon of _______ occurs when a second sound, frequently noise, is added to make the detection of another sound more difficult.

A) obstruction
B) overshadowing
C) auditory suppression
D) interference
E) masking

Question 62

Experimenters often use _______ as masking in their studies involving sound.

A) white noise
B) critical bandwidth sounds
C) low-frequency sounds
D) high-frequency sounds
E) inverse phasic sounds

Question 63

Why is white noise the best choice for masking random sounds in an environment?

A) White noise consists mostly of low frequencies, which are the best at masking random sounds since they also tend to be mostly low frequencies.
B) White noise consists mostly of medium frequencies, which are the best at masking random sounds since they also tend to be mostly medium frequencies.
C) White noise consists mostly of high frequencies, which are the best at masking random sounds since they also tend to be mostly high frequencies.
D) Since white noise includes energy at all frequencies, it is good at masking random sounds of any frequency.
E) The structured and cyclical nature of white noise provides a clear pattern that interferes with the perception of random sounds in the environment.

Question 64

Hearing loss that is caused by problems with bones of the middle ear is called

A) masking.
B) ototoxia.
C) auditory suppression.
D) sensorineural hearing loss.
E) conductive hearing loss.

Question 65

Which of the following is not a cause of hearing loss?

A) Otitis media
B) Use of ototoxic drugs
C) Masking
D) Excessive exposure to noise
E) Otosclerosis

Question 66

Which type of hearing loss is due to inflammation of the middle ear, occurs commonly in children as a result of infection, and is most often temporary?

A) Otosclerosis
B) Ototoxic
C) Sensorineural
D) Ottitis media
E) Cochlear atrophy

Question 67

Why would inflammation of the middle ear result in hearing loss?

A) The ear canal would close, blocking sounds from entering the ear.
B) The ossicles would have a hard time moving, therefore preventing waves from being transmitted into the cochlea.
C) Swelling of the vestibular canal would prevent sounds from traveling through the cochlea.
D) Swelling of the tympanic canal would prevent sounds from traveling through the cochlea.
E) Swelling of the middle canal would prevent sounds being transduced into neural firing by the hair cells.

Question 68

Which type of hearing loss is due to defects in the cochlea or auditory nerve?

A) Otosclerosis
B) Ototoxic
C) Sensorineural
D) Ottitis media
E) Cochlear atrophy

Question 69

Which type of hearing loss is due to abnormal growth of the middle-ear bones?

A) Otosclerosis
B) Ototoxic
C) Sensorineural
D) Ottitis media
E) Cochlear atrophy

Question 70

Which type of hearing loss is due to chemicals, such as antibiotics, or cancer drugs that kill hair cells in the inner ear?

A) Otosclerosis
B) Ototoxic
C) Sensorineural
D) Ottitis media
E) Cochlear atrophy

Question 71

Suppose you attend a rock concert one night and do not use hearing protection (e.g., ear plugs). Why might you have a hard time understanding somebody in a noisy restaurant the next day?

A) Auditory hair cell loss
B) Ottitis media
C) Otosclerosis
D) Auditory masking
E) Hidden hearing loss

Question 72

_______ can give some people who are deaf the ability to hear.

A) Ototoxic therapy
B) Cochlear implants
C) Otosclerosis
D) Sensorineural implants
E) Cochlear transplant

Question 73

How are sound waves described, and what psychological aspects do they correspond to?

Question 74

How is amplitude coded in the cochlea?

Question 75

How is frequency coded in the cochlea?

Question 76

What are equal-loudness curves?

Question 77

Describe the process of audition, following a sound wave from the outer ear through the middle ear and into the inner ear. How are auditory neurons ultimately activated?

Question 78

Describe the pathway of auditory nerve signals from the auditory nerve to primary auditory cortex.

Question 79

Describe both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss and why they occur. Can they be treated?