PSYCH 1XX3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11.4: Inner Ear, Middle Ear, Oval Window
18 Apr 2017
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Document Summary
The ear is a sound-detecting instrument that is used to detect sound waves and convert them into something that the brain can interpret. The ear can be divided into three sections: 1. external, 2. middle, and 3. inner ear: each area conducts sound in a different way o. Then onto the middle ear, and amplified so that it can be detected as changes in fluid pressure. These changes in fluid pressure are then finally converted to auditory neural impulses: the external ear, collects and amplifies sound waves, made up of the pinna, the ear canal, and the eardrum. The pinna is the folded cone that collects sound waves in the environment and directs them along the ear canal. The ear canal narrows as it moves towards the eardrum and functions to amplify the incoming sound waves, much like a horn. Named after their appearance and consist of the hammer, anvil, and stirrup: vibrating ossicles further amplify the sound stimulus.
