Auditory Perception

Chapter 9
Auditory Stimulus
The Auditory System
Hearing Impairments and Treatments
The Auditory Stimulus
 The Auditory Stimulus
• Waves: periodic disturbances that travel
through a medium (e.g. air or water)
• Transport energy
• “What is a Wave?” Dan Russell,
http://www.acs.psu.edu/drussell/Demos/waves-intro/waves-intro.html

l
 The Auditory Stimulus
• A longitudinal, mechanical wave
– caused by a vibrating source
• Pack molecules at different densities
– cause small changes in pressure
 The Auditory Stimulus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8GcMn7K0u4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CJJ6FrfuGU
The Auditory Stimulus
 The Auditory Stimulus
• Pure Tones - simple waves
• Complex Tones- tones that cannot be
represented by one simple sine wave
• Harmonics - complex waves consisting of
combinations of pure tones (Fourier analysis) -
the quality of tone or its timbre (i.e. the
difference between a given note on a trumpet
and the same note on a violin) is given by the
harmonics
The Auditory Stimulus
 The Auditory Stimulus
• Wavelength
– distance between peaks
• Frequency
– cycles per second
– relates to pitch
• Amplitude
– height of a cycle
– relates to loudness
• Phase Angle
– Position of the pressure
change as it moves through
one complete cycle Sound is repetitive changes
• Most sounds mix many in air pressure over time
frequencies & amplitudes
 Frequency
• Sound waves are described in terms of
frequency: the number of cycles that a sound
wave completes in 1 second.
• Shorter wavelengths have higher frequencies
because more waves can occur in each
second.
• Relates to the perceptual experience of pitch
(though not perfectly).
 Frequency
• Range of hearing frequencies 20 Hz to 20,000
Hz
• Most sensitive to frequencies from 1000-4000
Hz
– Very sensitive to difference in frequencies within
this range
– Less sensitive to differences between 2 low
frequencies and differences between 2 high
frequencies
 Amplitude
• Amplitude: maximum pressure change from
normal.
• Corresponds to the perceptual experience of
loudness
• High-amplitude sound waves displaces your
eardrum more than a low-amplitude sound
waves
• http://www.skidmore.edu/~hfoley/Perc9.htm
#ch9demo1
 Decibel Scale
• Scale of sound pressures relative to the threshold
pressure (SPL: sound-pressure level) measured in
decibels
• Describes intensity relative to threshold of hearing
based on multiples of 10
– 0 dB = threshold of hearing (TOH)
– 10 dB = 10 times more intense than TOH
– 20 dB = 100 times more intense than TOH
– 30 dB = 1000 times more intense than TOH

• An increase in 10 dB means that the intensity of the

sound increases by a factor of 10
Decibels of Everyday Sounds
Sound Decibels
Rustling leaves 10
Whisper 20
Ambient office noise 45
Conversation 60
Auto traffic 100
Concert 120
Jet motor 140
Spacecraft launch 180
 Phase Angle
• Phase angle is the angle in degrees at each
phase or position of the wave cycle.
• 0° represents normal air pressure just before
the air pressure begins to increase
• 180°- wave returns to normal pressure on its
way to less-than-normal pressure
• 90°- maximum pressure
• 270°- maximum pressure
Phase Angle
Phase Angle
The Auditory System
The Auditory Stimulus
 The Outer Ear

• The outer ear includes the pinna, the

structure of flesh and cartilage attached to
each side of the head
• Responsible for:
– Altering the reflection of sound waves into the
middle ear from the outer ear
– Helps us to locate the source of a sound
 The Middle Ear

• The middle ear contains the tympanic

membrane, which vibrates at the same rate
when struck by sound waves
– Also known as the ear drum
• Connects to three tiny bones (malleus, incus, &
stapes) that transform waves into stronger
waves to the oval window
• Oval window is a membrane in the inner ear
– Transmits waves through the viscous fluid of the
inner ear
 The Inner Ear
• The inner ear contains a snail shaped
structure called the cochlea
– Contains three fluid-filled tunnels (scala
vestibuli, scala media, & the scala tympani)
• Hair cells are auditory receptors that lie
between the basilar membrane and the
tectorial membrane in the cochlea
– When displaced by vibrations in the fluid of the
cochlea, they excite the cells of the auditory
nerve
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7F_Wl2rV0
Inner Ear
 The Auditory Cortex

• The primary auditory cortex (area A1) is the

destination for most information from the
auditory system
– Located in the superior temporal cortex
• Each hemisphere receives most of its
information from the opposite ear
 The Auditory Cortex

• Organization of the auditory cortex parallels

that of the visual cortex
– Superior temporal cortex contains area MT
• Allows detection of the motion of sound
– Area A1 is important for auditory imagery
– Requires experience to develop properly
• Axons leading from the auditory cortex develop less
in people deaf since birth
 The Auditory Cortex

• The cortex is necessary for the advanced

processing of hearing
– Damage to A1 does not necessarily cause deafness
unless damage extends to the subcortical areas
• The auditory cortex provides a tonotopic map
in which cells in the primary auditory cortex
are more responsive to preferred tones
– Some cells respond better to complex sounds than
pure tones
Hearing Impairments and
Treatments
 Hearing Impairments
• The most common hearing disorders are those that
affect hearing sensitivity. When a sound is
presented to a listener with a hearing sensitivity
disorder, one of two things may occur:
1. The listener with a hearing sensitivity
impairment may be unable to detect the sound.
2. The sound will not be as loud to that listener as it
would be to a listener with normal hearing.
 Hearing Impairments
• Acuity: in vision it is the ability to see fine detail; in
hearing it is the ability to distinguish among differences in
sound
–Vision: common vision disorders affect acuity, not sensitivity to
light. Eyeglasses and contact lenses improve acuity, not sensitivity
to light.
–Hearing: aids improve sensitivity to sound by amplifying sounds,
but do not improve acuity.
–Important: This sensitivity vs. acuity distinction is not quite so
simple with hearing: hearing loss of any significance nearly
always involves problems of both sensitivity and acuity – sounds
are harder to hear (sensitivity) and they are nearly always
distorted (acuity).
 Audiogram
Threshold: Intensity required to barely detect a sound.

Audiogram of a Listener with

Thresholds in the Normal Range
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
-10
0
10
20
Intensity (dB HL)

30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110

Frequency (Hz)
Mild High-frequency Loss
Audiogram of a Listener with a
Mild High-Frequency Hearing Loss
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
-10
0
10
20
Intensity (dB HL)

30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110

Frequency (Hz)
 Moderate-to-Profound Bilateral Loss
Severe Loss Left, Ear Moderate Loss Right Ear
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000

-10

10

20

30
Intensity (dB HL)

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

Frequency (Hz)

Average thresholds at 500, 1000, 2000 Hz – the frequencies most

important for speech understanding.
Pure-tone Average, Left Ear: 93 dB
Pure-tone Average, Right Ear: 50 dB
 Hearing Impairments
Normal Hearing: PTAs < 25 dB
Hearing Impairment: PTAs 25-92 dB
Deaf: PTAs > 92 dB
The term deafness is reserved for cases in which “ … the
handicap for hearing everyday speech … [is] … total” (Davis
& Silverman, 1979).
(1) there is no sharp dividing line between hearing
impairment and deafness,
(2) degrees of deafness are meaningful; e.g., there is an
important difference between PTAs of 110 and 95.
 Hearing Impairments
Presbycusis
• Hearing loss associated with aging
• Most common cause of SN HL – and most
common cause of hearing loss overall
• Presbycusis begins in adolescence.
Hearing Impairments
Men

High frequencies are more strongly

affected than lows. (We’ll see this again
when we talk about noise-induced HL.)
Any guesses about why high-
frequencies are more vulnerable?

Women
 Hearing Impairments

• Two categories of hearing impairment

include:
– Conductive or middle ear deafness
– Nerve deafness or inner ear deafness
 Hearing Impairments

• Conductive/middle ear deafness occurs if bones

of the middle ear fail to transmit sound waves
properly to the cochlea
• Caused by disease, infections, or tumerous bone
growth
• Can be corrected by surgery or hearing aids that
amplify the stimulus
• Normal cochlea and normal auditory nerve
allows people to hear their own voice clearly
 Hearing Impairments

• Nerve or inner-ear deafness results from

damage to the cochlea, the hair cells, or the
auditory nerve
• Can vary in degree
• Can be confined to one part of the cochlea
– People can hear only certain frequencies
• Can be inherited or caused by prenatal
problems or early childhood disorders
 Exposure to Loud Noise

Spring 2006 IEOR 170 45

 Hearing Impairments

• Tinnitus is a frequent or constant ringing in

the ears
– Experienced by many people with nerve
deafness
• Sometimes occurs after damage to the
cochlea
– Axons representing other part of the body
innervate parts of the brain previously
responsive to sound
– Similar to the mechanisms of phantom limb
 Hearing Impairments
•Presbycusis:
(1)The sensory-neural component may not be due exclusively to hair cell
loss. Changes in the elasticity of the basilar membrane and metabolic
changes in the stria vascularis may also play a role (Davis, H. and Silverman, S.,
1978, Hearing and Deafness, New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston ).

(2)There may also be a conductive component due to age-related changes

in the mobility of tissues in the middle ear.
(3)There is sometimes a central component due to the loss of neurons in
the CNS, (related primarily to arteriosclerosis). The result of this CNS
damage is a reduction in acuity and speech perception abilities. The
resulting deficit in speech perception ability is sometimes referred to as
phonemic regression. In some cases it is this problem rather than a loss of
hearing sensitivity that is the patient’s primary complaint.
 Hearing Response Paper
• Go to:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2643864/Ho
w-good-YOUR-hearing-Video-reveals-frequencies-hear.html
• Read through the description and listen to the
demonstration. Then have someone younger than you and
someone older than you listen to the demonstration and
indicate when they first start hearing the tone and when
they can no longer hear the tone.
• Write about your experience and what you discovered when
others listened to the demonstration.
• What does this tell you about the auditory system and
aging? Why does this happen (physiologically) and can
anything be done to prevent it (behaviorally &