PSYC 211 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7.1: Transient Receptor Potential Cation Channel, Member A1, Incus, The Fluid
3 Jun 2016
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Chapter vii: audition, the body sense and the chemical senses. Sounds are produced by objects that vibrate and set molecules of air into motion. Sounds vary along three dimensions: pitch, loudness and timbre. The perceived pitch of an auditory stimulus is determined by the frequency of vibration in hz, i. e. cycles per second. Loudness is a function of intensity, i. e. the degree to which the condensations are rarefactions of air differ from each other: more vigorous vibrations produce more intense sound waves and thus louder sounds. Timbre provides information about the nature of a particular sound: most natural acoustic stimuli are complex, consisting of several different frequencies of vibration, and the particular mixture determines the sound"s timbre. The acoustic system does a phenomenal job at analyzing vibrations that reach our ear. Sound is funneled via the pinna, or external ear, through the ear canal to the tympanic membrane, or eardrum, which vibrates with the sound.
