Deck 10: Basic Auditory Functions

Question 1

A sound's frequency (a physical phenomenon) is related to the psychological phenomenon of:

A) loudness
B) pitch
C) timbre
D) amplitude

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A low-frequency sine wave would produce a __________________ pitch and a high- frequency sine wave would produce a __________________ pitch.

A) high; high
B) high; low
C) low; low
D) low; high

Answer 2

D

Question 3

While Helmholtz supported the __________________ theory, Rutherford supported the __________________ theory.

A) place; temporal
B) frequency; temporal
C) temporal; place
D) temporal; frequency

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The theory that proposes that particular frequencies are encoded at specific locations on the basilar membrane is the __________________ theory.

A) temporal
B) refractory
C) place
D) frequency

Question 5

The theory that proposes that the basilar membrane vibrates at a frequency that matches the frequency of a tone is the __________________ theory.

A) temporal
B) refractory
C) place
D) frequency

Question 6

One problem with Hemholtz's theory is that:

A) the basilar membrane does not vibrate 25 times each second for a 25-Hz tone
B) neurons are limited to 1000 responses a second
C) the basilar membrane is under tension
D) neurons cannot keep pace with a 25-Hz tone

Question 7

In the figure below, the dashed line that connects the peaks of the wave as it progresses is called the:

A) amplitude
B) overtone
C) tone height
D) envelope

Question 8

Loud, low-frequency tones are likely to damage the stereocilia near the __________________ and the range of the damage is __________________.

A) helicotrema; narrow
B) helicotrema; wide
C) stapes; narrow
D) stapes; wide

Question 9

In a complex tone comprised of 200 Hz, 400 Hz, 600 Hz, and 800 Hz, which frequency is the fundamental frequency?

A) 200 Hz
B) 400 Hz
C) 600 Hz
D) 800 Hz

Question 10

In a complex tone comprised of 220 Hz, 440 Hz, 660 Hz, and 880 Hz, the frequency 660 Hz is also known as:

A) the fundamental frequency
B) the first harmonic
C) the second overtone
D) all of the above

Question 11

In a complex tone comprised of 300 Hz, 600 Hz, and 900 Hz, which frequency contributes the greatest amplitude?

A) 300 Hz
B) 600 Hz
C) 900 Hz
D) they all contribute equally

Question 12

A tone's sound quality is also known as its:

A) frequency
B) loudness
C) pitch
D) timbre

Question 13

If a complex tone comprised of 400 Hz, 600 Hz, 800 Hz, and 1000 Hz was played, what frequency would listeners report hearing?

A) no sound would be heard
B) 200 Hz
C) 400 Hz
D) 1000 Hz

Question 14

E. Glen Wever proposed that neurons share in producing the required firing rate for a given frequency. This is known as:

A) the volley principle
B) the refractory principle
C) phase locking
D) dissonance

Question 15

Research investigating the processing of pure tones suggests that:

A) the pitches of both low- and high-frequency tones are
encoded by place information
B) the pitches of both low- and high-frequency tones are encoded by temporal information
C) the pitches of low-frequency tones are encoded by place information while the pitches of high-frequency tones are encoded by temporal information
D) the pitches of low-frequency tones are encoded by temporal information while the pitches of high-frequency tones are encoded by place information

Question 16

If middle C has a frequency of 262 Hz, the C an octave above it would have a frequency of:

A) 262 Hz
B) 362 Hz
C) 400 Hz
D) 524 Hz

Question 17

Pitch is measured by:

A) the mel scale
B) tone height
C) tone chroma
D) all of the above

Question 18

A sound's intensity (a physical phenomenon) is related to the psychological phenomenon of:

A) loudness
B) pitch
C) timbre
D) amplitude

Question 19

As you increase the intensity of a sound, you increase:

A) the number of hair cells along the basilar membrane that are displaced
B) the sum activity of neurons in the auditory nerve
C) the number of neurons firing along the basilar membrane
D) all of the above

Question 20

Which of these statements about loudness perception is NOT true?

A) Longer tones appear louder than shorter tones.
B) Tones appear less loud after we've been listening to other loud sounds.
C) Continuous tones appear louder over time.
D) A 1000 Hz tone appears louder than a 100 Hz tone.

Question 21

Two tones of equal amplitude are presented. Sound A is presented for 10-ms whereas Sound B is presented for 250-ms. What will the perceived loudness be?

A) The two tones will be perceived to have the same loudness.
B) Sound A will be perceived to be louder than Sound
C) Sound B will be perceived to be louder than Sound
D) Sound A will not be perceived at all.

Question 22

Pressing the "loudness boost" button on your stereo:

A) increases the amplitude of the low-frequency and high- frequency sounds
B) increases the amplitude of the low-frequency sounds while leaving the high-frequency sounds untouched
C) increases the amplitude of the high-frequency sounds while leaving the low-frequency sounds untouched
D) does nothing to the amplitudes of the sounds

Question 23

A fire alarm sounds continuously at a constant amplitude for 5 minutes. Over the course of the 5 minutes, the sound of the alarm will:

A) decrease in loudness
B) increase in loudness
C) decrease in pitch
D) increase in pitch

Question 24

If a sound is presented at an amplitude below the hearing threshold (as indicated by an equal loudness contour), the sound would:

A) appear louder than if it was presented at an amplitude above the hearing threshold
B) be perceived as pressure or pain
C) be inaudible
D) all of the above

Question 25

The loudest tones to us are those with frequencies:

A) less than 50 Hz
B) between 50 Hz and 1000 Hz
C) between 1000 Hz and 5000 Hz
D) greater than 5000 Hz

Question 26

At higher intensities, the Weber fraction for pure tones __________________, while the Weber fraction for white noise __________________.

A) increases; decreases
B) increases; remains roughly the same
C) decreases; increases
D) decreases; remains roughly the same

Question 27

Psychologists measure loudness using:

A) the sone scale
B) the mel scale
C) a profile analysis
D) an eight-level marking system

Question 28

Musicians mark softest sounds as __________________ and loudest sounds as __________________.

A) sss; lll
B) ppp; fff
C) lll; sss
D) fff; ppp

Question 29

Localizing an object based on sound along the horizontal plane would mean to determine:

A) whether the sound is close or far away
B) whether the sound is above us or below us
C) whether the sound is moving toward us or moving away from us
D) whether the sound is coming from straight ahead or from the side

Question 30

Localizing an object based on sound along the vertical plane would mean to determine:

A) whether the sound is close or far away
B) whether the sound is above us or below us
C) whether the sound is moving toward us or moving away from us
D) whether the sound is coming from straight ahead or from the side

Question 31

Which of the following is NOT one of the three kinds of auditory localization?

A) temporal localization
B) distance localization
C) localization along the horizontal plane
D) localization along the vertical plane

Question 32

Research on auditory localization indicates that:

A) we are better at making judgments in the horizontal plane than in the vertical plane
B) we are better at making judgments in the vertical plane than in the horizontal plane
C) we are very good at making judgments in both the horizontal plane and the vertical plane
D) we are very poor at making judgments in the horizontal plane and the vertical plane

Question 33

In making judgments about the distances that sounds are from us, we:

A) tend to overestimate the distances
B) tend to underestimate the distances
C) are very accurate in our estimates
D) assign random distances

Question 34

Which of the following CANNOT be perceived with monaural hearing?

A) frequency
B) amplitude
C) auditory space
D) complexity

Question 35

The two components of the interaural time difference are:

A) the phase difference and the intensity difference
B) the intensity difference and the onset difference
C) the onset difference and the phase difference
D) the onset difference and the offset difference

Question 36

The onset difference refers to the fact that:

A) sounds will typically be louder in one ear than the other ear
B) sounds will typically arrive at one ear slightly before the other ear
C) sounds will typically have a greater intensity in one ear than the other ear
D) sounds will typically have a higher frequency in one ear than the other ear

Question 37

The auditory system would benefit greatest from using the onset difference when:

A) the auditory information was directly ahead the listener
B) the auditory information was directly behind the listener
C) the auditory information was straight out from the listener's right ear
D) the auditory information was continuous

Question 38

It is __________________ for the auditory system to localize a high-frequency sound using phase information because __________________.

A) easy; the peaks are very close together
B) easy; the peaks are far apart
C) difficult; the peaks are very close together
D) difficult; the peaks are far apart

Question 39

Time differences are most helpful for localizing __________________ . Intensity differences are most helpful for localizing __________________.

A) low-frequency sounds; low-frequency sounds
B) low-frequency sounds; high-frequency sounds
C) high-frequency sounds; low-frequency sounds
D) high-frequency sounds; high-frequency sounds

Question 40

Which of the following frequency ranges is most difficult for us to localize?

A) those less than 1000 Hz
B) those between 1000 Hz and 3000 Hz
C) those greater than 3000 Hz
D) all sounds are equally localizable

Question 41

Which of the following structures does NOT play an important role in auditory localization?

A) the superior olivary nucleus
B) the inferior colliculus
C) the superior colliculus
D) the inner ear

Question 42

While interaural time differences are encoded in the __________________, interaural intensity differences are encoded in the __________________. (p. 284)

A) LSO, ISO
B) ISO, MSO
C) MSO, LSO
D) LSO, MSO

Question 43

Studies have found that when localizing sounds in front of us, the minimum audible angle:

A) is as small as 1 degree, and even better for sounds that are off to the side.
B) is as small as 1 degree, but not as good for sounds that are off to the side.
C) is as small as 4 degrees, and even better for sounds that are off to the side.
D) is as small as 4 degrees, but not as good for sounds that are off to the side.

Question 44

Localization studies that are conducted using headphones (where the sounds appear to be coming from the right and left inside the head) are called:

A) binaural studies
B) monaural studies
C) internal studies
D) lateralization studies

Question 45

Which auditory structure helps us determine whether a sound is located in front of us or behind us?

A) the pinnae
B) the oval window
C) the tympanic membrane
D) the cochlea

Question 46

In locating a sound equidistant from both ears in the vertical direction, we have a minimum audible angle of about:

A) 1 degree
B) 2 degrees
C) 4 degrees
D) 5 degrees

Question 47

Which of the following statements about the auditory capabilities of humans and other animals is NOT true?

A) Humans are typically better than most other animals in localizing sounds directly ahead.
B) Humans are typically better than most other animals in vertical localization.
C) Both humans and other animals are better at horizontal localization than vertical localization.
D) Both humans and other animals are better at localizing pure tones than complex tones.

Question 48

Which of the following animals is best able to localize sounds in the vertical plane?

A) humans
B) dolphins
C) cats
D) barn owls

Question 49

The orientation of the feathers on a barn owl's face into the shape of a parabolic reflector allow it to:

A) better perceive high-frequency sounds
B) better perceive low-frequency sounds
C) better localize sounds in the vertical plane
D) better localize sounds in the horizontal plane

Question 50

The process of sending out an auditory signal and gathering information about the environment from the returning signal is called:

A) profile analysis
B) phase locking
C) echolocation
D) lateralization

Question 51

The reason that humans cannot hear the sounds that bats emit is because:

A) the intensity is too low
B) the intensity is too high
C) the frequency is too low
D) the frequency is too high

Question 52

In both dolphins and bats, the __________________ plays an important role in echolocation.

A) pinnae
B) inferior colliculus
C) outer ear
D) organ of Corti

Question 53

When visual information about rate differs from auditory information about rate, we:

A) trust the auditory information unless it is degraded
B) trust the auditory information under all conditions
C) trust the visual information unless it is degraded
D) trust the visual information under all conditions

Question 54

The __________________ plays an important role in integrating the auditory and visual information into a unitary perception of space.

A) inferior colliculus
B) superior colliculus
C) medial geniculate nucleus
D) superior olivary nucleus

Question 55

When the ratios of two or more distinct tones are simple fractions, the combination is a __________________ and is judged to be __________________.

A) dissonance; pleasant
B) dissonance; unpleasant
C) consonance; pleasant
D) consonance; unpleasant

Question 56

The phenomenon that occurs when two tones are presented simultaneously and one tone makes it more difficult to hear the other tone is called:

A) consonance
B) dissonance
C) masking
D) noise

Question 57

A high-frequency tone is __________________ to mask than a low-frequency tone. Therefore, the critical band of a high-frequency tone is __________________ than that of a low-frequency tone.

A) easier; larger
B) easier; smaller
C) harder; larger
D) harder; smaller

Question 58

Which of the following statements about visual and auditory masking is TRUE?

A) With visual stimuli, forward masking is more effective than backward masking.
B) With auditory stimuli, forward masking is more effective than backward masking.
C) Across both modalities, backward masking is more effective than forward masking.
D) With auditory stimuli, forward masking and backward masking are equally effective.

Question 59

Chronic noise has been found to affect a person's: (p. 293)

A) hearing ability
B) sleep cycles
C) cognitive performance
D) A and B
E) A, B, and C