PSYC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Frequency, Sound Intensity, Rarefaction

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Jordan Poppenk

Document Summary

Topic 1: the auditory system: describe the auditory system from ear to cortex, compare and contrast vision and audition, describe how sounds waves are translated by our auditory system into psychological characteristics. Vibrations cause air molecules to become compressed (regions of high air pressure) and rarefied (regions of low air pressure). Pressure changes travel from the air to our ears in a wave. Amplitude determines sound wave intensity (difference in timbre based on location). Frequency measurement of sound by the number of peaks per second (inverse of wavelength; in hertz (hz)). shown on a spectrum. Frequency number of cycles (periods) between high and low pressure in one second. Amplitude intensity of waveform related to perception of sound"s loudness. Units in decibels (db) sound pressure level (spl: decibels difference between 2 sounds in terms of ration between sound pressure, 10:1 = 20 db, 100:1 = 40 db, > 40db = 100x larger.