PSYC 4365 Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: Tensor Tympani Muscle, Outer Ear, Inner Ear
Document Summary
What is sound: harmonic spectrum: typically caused by a simple vibrating source (e. g. , string of a guitar, or reed of a saxophone) Fundamental frequency: the lowest-frequency component of a complex periodic sound. Timbre: the psychological sensation by which a listener can judge that two sounds with the same loudness and pitch are dissimilar. Timbre quality is conveyed by harmonics and other high frequencies. Figure 9. 6 harmonic sounds with the same fundamental frequency can sound different. Sense of hearing evolved over millions of years. For instance, dogs can hear higher-frequency sounds and elephants can hear lower-frequency sounds than humans can: outer ear. Sounds are first collected from the environment by the pinnae. Sound waves are funneled by the pinnae into the ear canal. The length and shape of the ear canal enhances certain sound frequencies. The main purpose of the ear canal is to insulate the structure at its end the tympanic membrane.
