PSY 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Hearing Aid, Cochlear Implant, Nociceptor

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 1101
• Professor: Najwa Haddad

Document Summary

The stimulus: have to be able to pick up physical stimulus. Pinna catches and funnels sound waves into auditory canal until they reach the ear drum causing it to vibrate. These cause ossicles (anvil, hammer, stirrup) to vibrate. As ossicles vibrate they cause oval window to vibrate, which causes pressure waves in cochlear fluid. Waves cause disturbance in basilar membrane to vibrate, hairs inside start to move becoming activated. Hair cells (cilia) are sensory receptors for sound. How do we perceive pitch (1-3: place theory: about location, sound waves of different frequencies activated different cells in basilar membrane. High frequency activates beginning of the membrane, low frequency activates the end: frequency theory: frequency of soundwave effects rate of firing of hair cells. However, hair cells can only fire 1000 action potentials/second. Can perceive 20 000 hz sound waves: volume principal: groups of hair cells team up and cooperate, firing 1 after the other in rapid succession.