PSYC 2000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Oval Window, Basilar Membrane, Cochlea
Document Summary
Pitch: determined by the wavelength or frequency (low, medium, or high) Volume (loudness: determined by the amplitude (softer versus louder) Timbre: determined by the purity, or the complexity (richness) of the tone of the sound. Wavelength: the distance from the peak of one wave to the peak of the next. Frequency or pitch is measured in hertz (hz), the cycles of waves per second. Volume (loudness): amount of energy in a wave determined by amplitude relates to perceived loudness. Outer ear: consists of pinna that collects & funnels sounds: eardrum: vibrates when sound waves hit. Middle ear: chamber between eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones ((hammer, anvil, stirrup) that send vibrations to the cochlea"s oval window. Inner ear: innermost part of the ear consists largely of the cochlea, a uid lled. Place theory suggests that different sound waves stimulate the basilar membrane at different speci c places resulting in perceived pitch.
