Deck 10: The Auditory System

Question 1

When Yuki dropped the plate, it clattered loudly on the floor.The plate produced a ______.

A)low pitch
B)high pitch
C)low amplitude
D)high amplitude

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The subjective experience of sound that is most closely associated with the frequency of a sound stimulus, related to the experience of whether the sound is high or low, is known as ______.

A)frequency
B)timbre
C)tuning
D)pitch

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Sound waves are ______.

A)electromagnetic radiation that travels much more slowly than light
B)the waves of pressure changes that occur in the air as a function of the vibration of a source
C)the interaction of the processes of our inner ear with those of the outer ear
D)the static transmission of particles through the ether

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Yvette could barely hear the soft whisper.The whisper has a very ______.

A)low amplitude
B)high amplitude
C)low frequency
D)high frequency

Question 5

The perceived sound differences between sounds with the same pitch but possessing different higher harmonics is known as ______.

A)stapes
B)amplitude
C)decibel
D)timbre

Question 6

Sound travels ______ in water than it does in air, but sound travels ______ relative to light.

A)slower; slower
B)faster; faster
C)faster; slower
D)slower; faster

Question 7

What function do the ossicles serve?

A)They abate loud sounds that might damage the sensitive tympanic membrane.
B)They amplify the sound as sound goes from an air environment to a liquid environment.
C)They protect the hair cells of the cochlea.
D)The provide structure that supports the hard shell of the cochlea.

Question 8

When a piccolo plays a high note, that note will definitely have ______.

A)low decibels
B)low hertz
C)high decibels
D)high hertz

Question 9

The physical unit that measures sound amplitude is known as the ______.

A)decibel
B)hertz
C)gelb
D)ampere

Question 10

A tuba has a low pitch.As a result, it has a ______.

A)low central harmonic
B)high central harmonic
C)low fundamental frequency
D)high fundamental frequency

Question 11

A sound wave in which changes in air pressure follow a sine wave pattern is known as a(n) ______.

A)timbre wave
B)amplitude wave
C)low noise signal
D)pure tone

Question 12

A sound at 160 decibels is considered ______, whereas a sound at 20 decibels is considered ______.

A)soft; inaudible
B)dangerously loud; soft
C)high-pitched; low-pitched
D)complex; simple

Question 13

As adults get older, which of the following occurs?

A)Their ability to assimilate pitch grows stronger.
B)Their ability to assimilate pitch grows weaker.
C)Their auditory imagery tends to occur at lower amplitude.
D)They lose the ability to hear high frequencies.

Question 14

A mathematical procedure for taking any complex waveform and determining the simpler waveforms that make up that complex pattern is known as ______.

A)Fourier analysis
B)Hertz-Feingold analysis
C)temporal matching
D)binaural waveform analysis

Question 15

Higher frequencies present in a complex sound that are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency (main frequency) are known as ______.

A)timbre waves
B)binaural components
C)harmonics
D)pianofortes

Question 16

The thin elastic sheet that vibrates in response to sounds coming through the external auditory canal, commonly known as the eardrum, is the ______.

A)auditory meatus
B)tensor tympani
C)oval window
D)tympanic membrane

Question 17

The three small bones in the middle ear are collectively known as ______.

A)pinnae
B)stapes
C)vestibular bones
D)ossicles

Question 18

A thin tube that connects the middle ear with the pharynx and serves to equalize air pressure on either side of the eardrum is known as the ______.

A)tensor tympani
B)Eustachian tube
C)tympanic tube
D)malleus

Question 19

The amount of time between one peak of high pressure and the next in sound is known as ______.

A)the electromagnetic element
B)the sound spectrogram
C)a cycle
D)a rarefied invertebrate

Question 20

The channel that conducts sound from the pinna to the tympanic membrane is known as the ______.

A)pinnae
B)external auditory canal
C)internal auditory canal
D)tympanic pathway

Question 21

Devices that restore some hearing to deaf individuals by stimulating the auditory nerve artificially with an electronic system are called ______.

A)digital hearing aids
B)cochlear hearing aids
C)digital implants
D)cochlear implants

Question 22

A ruptured tympanic membrane may cause hearing loss.This is considered ______.

A)sensorineural hearing loss
B)acoustic hearing loss
C)conductive hearing loss
D)cochlear hearing loss

Question 23

The view that different locations along the basilar membrane respond to different frequencies is known as ______ theory.

A)tympanic
B)temporal code
C)place code
D)transduction wave

Question 24

The snail-shaped structure of the inner ear that houses the hair cells that transduce sound into a neural signal is known as the ______.

A)incus
B)tympanic matrix
C)stapedius
D)cochlea

Question 25

When the doctor examines Mateo, he realizes that the ossicles in Mateo's ear have calcified, causing hearing loss.As a result, the doctor gives the diagnosis that Mateo has a disease called ______.

A)tinnitus
B)degenerating Sensorineural deafness
C)otosclerosis
D)cochlear deafness

Question 26

Lance is a 45-year-old police officer who has spent part of his career as a firearms instructor.Lance is at high risk for ______.

A)damaging his Eustachian tube
B)developing sensorineural hearing loss
C)damaging his ossicles
D)developing otosclerosis

Question 27

How are microphones used in cochlear implants?

A)They are internal components that send sound waves to the brain.
B)They are external components that pick up sound from the environment.
C)They are internal components that pick up radio waves.
D)They are external components that stimulate the stapedius.

Question 28

The pressure from the stapes causes a wave in the fluid of the middle canal in the inner ear.This fluid is called ______.

A)perilymph
B)tinnitus
C)malleus
D)pinna

Question 29

The view that frequency representation occurs because of a match between sound frequency and the firing rates of the auditory nerve is known as ______.

A)the pitch-amplitude tradeoff
B)acoustic theory
C)temporal code theory
D)the Hertz theory

Question 30

If cochlear implants are placed in an infant's ears within the first year of life, that person will ______.

A)never be able to learn sign language
B)grow up being able to understand speech
C)eventually need hearing aids in addition to the cochlear implant
D)be unusually prone to ruptured eardrums

Question 31

How can an audiometer identify hearing loss?

A)By presenting harmonics to a patient, the audiometer can determine at what decibels, if any, hearing impairment happens.
B)By presenting pure tones to a patient, the audiometer can determine at what frequencies, if any, hearing impairment happens.
C)By presenting harmonics to a patient, the audiometer can determine at what frequencies, if any, hearing impairment happens.
D)By presenting pure tones to a patient, the audiometer can determine at what decibels, if any, hearing impairment happens.

Question 32

Stereocilia are ______.

A)the first synapse in the auditory nerve
B)connections that the cochlea has to the outer ear
C)the hair-like parts of the hair cells on the top of the inner and outer hair cells
D)cells that sharpen and amplify the responses of the inner hair cells

Question 33

Tamar hears a shrill sound wherever she goes.She most likely suffers from a condition called ______.

A)cochlear deficits
B)otosclerosis
C)tinnitus
D)simultaneous auditory agnosia

Question 34

As Jeremy aged, he experienced hearing loss.Another term for this is ______.

A)otosclerosis
B)presbycusis
C)stapedius
D)tinnitus

Question 35

Cheryl has moderate to severe hearing loss.Her hearing loss is particularly acute at frequencies from 1000 to 3000 Hz.What course of action do you recommend for her?

A)She should have surgery to install cochlear implants.
B)She should just ask people to talk louder.
C)She should have an artificial tympanic membrane installed.
D)She should get digital hearing aids.

Question 36

When you hold your nose and blow, the ______ open to release pressure.

A)Eustachian tubes
B)tympanic membranes
C)cochlear windows
D)ossicle formation

Question 37

Which of the following separates the vestibular canal and the middle canal?

A)basilar membrane
B)Reissner's membrane
C)Corti membrane
D)Eustachian membrane

Question 38

Vladislav is completely deaf.To hear people's voice, he should ______.

A)have a ossicles implant placed in his ear
B)have a cochlear implant placed in his ear
C)attach a digital hearing aid to his ear
D)attach an analog hearing aid to his ear

Question 39

A tone of 20 Hz will cause the greatest displacement along what end of the basilar membrane?

A)apex
B)base
C)perilymph
D)oval window

Question 40

The organ of Corti is the ______.

A)area in the cochlea that dampens loud sounds
B)first area of the auditory cortex that receives auditory input
C)subcortical region of the brain that translates incoming sound into head movements
D)structure on the basilar membrane that houses the hair cells that transduce sound into a neural signal

Question 41

Compare and contrast sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus.

Question 42

Conductive hearing loss is permanent hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea or auditory nerve.

Question 43

Extremely loud sound measuring over 150 decibels may cause hearing loss.

Question 44

Frequency is to pitch, as ______ is to ______.

A)pitch; timbre
B)amplitude; loudness
C)harmonics; cochlea
D)timbre; cycles per second

Question 45

Harmonics are the higher frequencies present in a complex sound that are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency.

Question 46

The structure that collects sound and funnels it into the auditory canal is called the ______.

A)stapes
B)pinna
C)incus
D)cochlea

Question 47

Children and young adults can hear over a range from about 20 to 20,000 Hz, but as adults age, they tend to lose hearing in high frequencies.

Question 48

When a complex sound reaches the basilar membrane, one can expect that ______.

A)the sound will be processed on Reissner's membrane, not the basilar membrane
B)the sound is dampened by stereocilia in the oval window
C)the basilar membrane will displace at multiple points
D)the cochlea will unwind just a bit to allow hair cells to reach the sound

Question 49

The fundamental frequency is the highest frequency in a complex sound, which determines the perceived timbre of that sound.

Question 50

The tympanic membrane is the thin elastic sheet that vibrates in response to sounds coming through the external auditory canal; commonly known as the eardrum.

Question 51

Pitch is the perceptual correlate of the amplitude of the sound waves.

Question 52

What is the difference between amplitude and frequency? Give an example for each.

Question 53

If a human being is exposed to a sound at 50,000 Hz at 180 decibels, what will happen?

A)The person will hear nothing because the sound is above the human range of frequency.
B)The sound will cause massive damage, resulting in immediate hearing loss.
C)The person will have hearing loss but only at the presented frequency.
D)The sound will cause a paradoxical response, and the person will hear a low tone instead of a high tone.

Question 54

The organ of Corti is the structure along the basilar membrane that contains the hair cells that transduce sound into a neural signal.

Question 55

Sound travels faster in air than underwater, and this is why it is so hard to localize sound underwater.

Question 56

Describe the parts of the middle ear and how they work together.

Question 57

The basilar membrane refers to the fibers that separate the tympanic canal from the middle canal; the organ of Corti lies on the basilar membrane.

Question 58

Why do we hear a difference in sound quality when a clarinet and a violin play the same note in the same octave?

A)The two musical instruments differ in their higher harmonics.
B)The two musical instruments differ in their fundamental frequency.
C)The clarinet has a larger amplitude than the violin.
D)The violin has a wider phase that the clarinet.

Question 59

How do the parts of a cochlear implant work together.

Question 60

Compare and contrast hearing loss that involves the tympanic membrane and the ossicles.