CAS PS 101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Oval Window, Basilar Membrane, Sound

• School: Boston University
• Department: Psychological & Brain Sciences
• Course: CAS PS 101
• Professor: Ira Wells

Document Summary

Movements and vibrations change the air molecules which changes the air pressure. The pattern of changes in the air pressure during a period of time is a sound wave. Frequency: determines pitch (higher frequency as higher in pitch) Sensory experience of hearing occurs in the brain. Sound waves reach outer ear and travel down the canal to the eardrum. Sound waves make eardrum vibrate and the vibrations are transferred to ossicles, 3 tiny bones known as the hammer, anvil, and stirrup. Ossicles transfer vibrations to oval window in the cochlea, in inner ear. O(cid:448)al (cid:449)indo(cid:449)"s (cid:448)i(cid:271)rations (cid:272)reate pressure (cid:449)a(cid:448)es in (cid:272)o(cid:272)hlear fluid. Waves make basilar membrane oscillate and that stimulates hair cells to bend and send info to auditory nerve. So sound waves hit the eardrum and are converted to neural signals that travel to the brain along the auditory nerve. Brain cannot tell where the sound comes from.