Question 1

In a freak accident involving ice, a potato gun, and a ballpoint pen, Justin damages part of his ear. Now, Justin can no longer generate vibrations that match the sound waves entering his ear. Justin most likely damaged his

Accepted Answer

The eardrum is responsible for vibrating in response to sound waves. If Justin can no longer generate vibrations that match the sound waves, it suggests damage to the eardrum.

Question 2

Shane was on the rifle team all through high school and college. After years of exposure to the excessive noise of gunfire, Shane became partially deaf when the hair cells in his ears were damaged. Shane most likely has __________ deafness.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Shane was on the rifle team all...

Question 3

A company that said its hearing aid could help people with nerve deafness has been forced to take its advertisements off the air. Research shows the only type of deafness that can be treated with a conventional hearing aid is __________ deafness, which is caused when the bones of the middle ear, known as the __________, fuse together.

Accepted Answer

Conduction deafness is caused by problems in the middle ear, such as the fusion of the bones known as the hammer, anvil, and stirrup, which can be treated with a conventional hearing aid.

Question 4

Mel has an unusual condition where she feels like she has a visual experience when she smells odors. She tells her neurologist that the scent of tomatoes "looks green" to her, while public bathrooms often "look blue" because of the way they smell. Mel may be diagnosed with

Accepted Answer

Mel's condition is consistent with synesthesia, where stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory pathway, such as seeing colors when smelling odors.

Question 5

Although it does not work for all cases, the surgical installation of a cochlear implant may help some people with ________ to overcome their hearing loss.

Accepted Answer

Cochlear implants are designed to help individuals with nerve deafness (sensorineural hearing loss) by directly stimulating the auditory nerve, bypassing damaged parts of the ear.

Question 6

Which of the following structures in your ear would vibrate in response to listening to your favorite music on the radio?

Accepted Answer

The tympanic membrane, also known as the eardrum, vibrates in response to sound waves, such as music, entering the ear.

Question 7

A condition that causes a person to experience an unusual mixture of sensory and perceptual functions is called

Accepted Answer

Synesthesia is a condition where stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway, resulting in a blending of senses.

Question 8

Haley is very upset about her hearing loss, but she is thrilled when the doctor tells her that they can treat her deafness by breaking apart the bones in her middle ear. Haley is experiencing __________ deafness.

Accepted Answer

Haley is experiencing conduction deafness because the issue is with the bones in her middle ear, which are responsible for transmitting sound vibrations to the inner ear. Breaking apart these bones (a procedure called a stapedectomy) can improve the transmission of sound and treat the conduction deafness. Nerve deafness refers to damage in the inner ear or auditory nerve, while transduction and tympanic are both related to the process of sound being converted into neural impulses.

Question 9

On which auditory accessory structure would you be most likely to wear the beautiful diamond earring that you were given as a birthday gift?

Accepted Answer

The pinna is the external part of the ear where earrings are typically worn.

Question 10

If you are trying to explain how the amplitude of a sound wave relates to the loudness of the sound that it produces, which of the following statements would you not make?

Accepted Answer

The answer of If you are trying to explain how...

Question 11

When he watches the movie Halloween , Julio gets creeped out by the music. When you laugh at him, he says, "Those repetitive high notes on the piano scare me out of my mind! Even if I can barely hear the music, it still freaks me out." Julio is referring to the __________ of the music.

Accepted Answer

Julio is specifically mentioning the "repetitive high notes on the piano", which are an aspect of pitch. Loudness refers to the volume of the music, timbre refers to the tone quality or character of the sound, and compression refers to the reduction of dynamic range in a recording. Therefore, pitch is the most relevant choice in this context.

Question 12

Vince wants to prove his love to his girlfriend. He was thinking of giving her sunflowers, but on this starry, starry night he decides to cut off one of his outer ears and give it to her. Having taken a course in Psychology (and not Art History), Vince's girlfriend replies, "How sweet, you have given me a(n)__________ from your auditory system."

Accepted Answer

The outer ear is considered an accessory structure in the auditory system, as it helps to collect and direct sound waves into the ear canal.

Question 13

Z. Z. Bottom has been playing loud rock music for so long that his hearing is impaired. What has probably happened is that the

Accepted Answer

Hair cells on the basilar membrane in the cochlea can be damaged by prolonged exposure to loud sounds, leading to hearing impairment.

Question 14

Creighton has been working in construction for many years. At first, his co-workers warned him to wear earplugs, but he refused. Now, he can no longer hear sounds at high pitches. Creighton's __________ have been damaged.

Accepted Answer

Hair cells in the cochlea of the inner ear are responsible for detecting sound vibrations and converting them into neural signals. Prolonged exposure to loud noise can damage these cells, leading to hearing loss, particularly at high frequencies.

Question 15

Before a concert, the director has the leaders from each section of the band play a tuning note. There is a noticeable difference in the quality of sound emitted by the different instruments. The psychological dimension of sound that accounts for this difference is known as

Accepted Answer

Timbre is the psychological dimension of sound that accounts for the quality or color of a sound, which allows us to distinguish between different instruments playing the same note.

Question 16

Clifford the cat can move his accessory structures for hearing to help him localize the source of even a very faint sound. In other words, unlike most humans, Clifford can move his

Accepted Answer

Accessory structures for hearing include the pinnae or outer ears, which can be moved by some animals to help them locate the source of a sound. The basilar membrane, stapes, and organs of Corti are all internal structures involved in the process of hearing, but do not aid in sound localization.

Question 17

The visible part of the ear that can be seen on the side of your head is your ________.

Accepted Answer

The visible part of the ear that can be seen on the side of your head is the pinna.

Question 18

The evil scientist, Simon B. Sinister has captured our hero, Wonderdog. Simon attaches electrodes to the receptors in Wonderdog's cochlea. When Simon electrically stimulates the receptors, what will be the effect on Wonderdog?

Accepted Answer

Electrical stimulation of the cochlea's receptors will mimic the natural process of hearing, causing Wonderdog to perceive a sound or noise.

Question 19

Balint and Ameilia both have lost some of their hearing ability. The hair cells that feed information to Balint's acoustic nerve were damaged when he stood too close to the speakers at loud concerts. In Amelia's case, the neurons that normally carry sound messages from the cochlea to her brain were damaged by disease. Balint has __________ deafness, and Amelia has __________ deafness.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Balint and Ameilia both have lost some...

Question 20

Transduction of auditory information takes place in the

Accepted Answer

The cochlea is the organ responsible for transduction of auditory information. It contains hair cells that convert the mechanical vibrations of sound waves into neural signals that are sent to the brain for processing. The fovea is responsible for visual acuity, the pinna is the visible part of the outer ear, and the malleus is one of the three tiny bones in the middle ear that transmit sound from the eardrum to the inner ear.

Quiz 3: Sensation and Perception