Deck 10: The Ear and Auditory System

Question 1

If a tree falls in the forest but no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

A) no, because sound is a perceptual experience
B) yes, because sound is a perceptual experience
C) yes, because the falling tree produces energy
D) both yes, because sound is a perceptual experienceand yes, because the falling tree produces energy

Answer 1

no, because sound is a perceptual experience

Question 2

Sound waves will travel through

A) a vacuum.
B) gases.
C) solids.
D) both gases and solids.

Answer 2

both gases and solids.

Question 3

The individual who showed that sound does not travel in a vacuum was

A) Robert Boyle.
B) Helmholtz.
C) Ernst Rutherford.
D) Bekesy.

Answer 3

Robert Boyle.

Question 4

The physics of sound is referred to as

A) audition.
B) hearing.
C) acoustics.
D) none of these

Question 5

If Hans is standing 20 feet away from you and you shout at him, then whisper at him, which message will take less time to travel to him?

A) The shout will take less time.
B) The whisper will take less time.
C) Both messages will take the same amount of time.
D) none of these

Question 6

The movements of a stereo speaker producing a loud sound would have a

A) low frequency.
B) high frequency.
C) low amplitude.
D) high amplitude.

Question 7

The loudness of a distant sound source is weak because

A) sound travels relatively slowly.
B) sound waves cancel one another.
C) amplitude decreases with distance.
D) echoes interfere with hearing.

Question 8

The amplitude of a sound signal is expressed in units called

A) hertz.
B) intensity.
C) decibels.
D) none of these

Question 9

If someone told you about a particular sound's decibel level, they'd be telling you about its

A) pitch.
B) amplitude.
C) frequency.
D) wavelength.

Question 10

The number of cycles a sound wave completes in one second is termed

A) timbre.
B) frequency.
C) amplitude.
D) decibel.

Question 11

A low-frequency sound wave would have a _____________ wavelength, and a high-frequency sound wave would have a _____________ wavelength.

A) long; short
B) short; long
C) long; long
D) short; short

Question 12

The outer, "flap" part of someone's ear is called the

A) pinna.
B) auditory canal.
C) external auditory meatus.
D) ear horn.

Question 13

The ear is believed to be made up of three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The outer ear does NOT consist of which one of the following?

A) pinna
B) auditory canal
C) tympanic membrane
D) all are parts of the outer ear

Question 14

Which of these animals has an eardrum that is designed best to handle low frequencies?

A) cat
B) pig
C) hamster
D) elephant

Question 15

In the middle ear, sound vibrations are transferred from the ______________ to the
______________.

A) tympanic membrane; ear canal
B) round window; malleus
C) ossicles; oval window
D) stapes; round window

Question 16

Which one of the following is NOT an ossicle?

A) malleus
B) incus
C) stapes
D) all are ossicles

Question 17

The most significant contributor to impedance matching in the ear is the

A) lever action of the middle ear's bones.
B) funneling of the ear canal.
C) Eustachian tube.
D) difference in area between the eardrum and the oval window.

Question 18

The acoustic reflex

A) protects the ear primarily at low frequencies.
B) acts too slowly to protect against sudden intense sounds.
C) occurs even when you are chewing or talking.
D) all of these

Question 19

Sensory transduction occurs within the

A) cochlea.
B) basilar membrane.
C) organ of Corti.
D) oval window.

Question 20

When the fluid in the vestibular canal flows into the cochlear duct

A) inner hair cells are stimulated.
B) outer hair cells are stimulated.
C) hearing is impaired.
D) the round window will bulge.

Question 21

The basilar membrane separates

A) the cochlear duct and the tympanic canal.
B) the cochlear duct and the vestibular canal.
C) the vestibular canal and the tympanic canal.
D) the outer ear and the middle ear.

Question 22

Which of the following would NOT be found in the organ of Corti?

A) hair cells
B) tympanic canal
C) tectorial membrane
D) basilar membrane

Question 23

The inner ear contains

A) the cochlea.
B) the semicircular canals.
C) both the cochlea and the semicircular canals.
D) neither the cochlea nor the semicircular canals.

Question 24

The semicircular canals are important for sensing

A) the frequency of sounds.
B) the amplitude of sounds.
C) the timbre of sounds.
D) position of the head in space.

Question 25

Imagine a completely flat world populated by flat creatures. How many semicircular canals would you expect each creature to have?

A) 0
B) 1
C) 2
D) 3

Question 26

Proportional to the size of the head, which of the following would have the biggest semicircular canals?

A) a human
B) a gorilla
C) a crocodile
D) a sloth

Question 27

According to the textbook, stimulation of the _______________ is considered to be the crucial event leading to the process of hearing.

A) tectorial membrane
B) cilia
C) inner hair cells
D) outer hair cells

Question 28

The ear's outer hair cell (OHC) system seems to work to

A) amplify the movements of the tectorial membrane.
B) register information about frequency.
C) handle sound sources which fluctuate quickly in intensity.
D) detect sounds with complex harmonics.

Question 29

The temporal theory explains how vibrations in the inner ear fluid are transformed into nerve impulses. Which of the following represents a problem for the theory?

A) Neurons can't fire more than about 1,000 times per second.
B) The basilar membrane cannot vibrate uniformly over its whole length.
C) both neurons can't fire more than about 1,000 times per second and the basilar membrane cannot vibrate uniformly over its whole length.
D) neither neurons can't fire more than about 1,000 times per second nor the basilar membrane cannot vibrate uniformly over its whole length.

Question 30

According to the ____________ theory of Ernest Rutherford, the stapes taps out a number of beats that are equivalent to the frequency of the sound.

A) temporal
B) place
C) traveling wave
D) volley

Question 31

According to the _______________ theory of Helmholtz, different frequencies disturb different regions of the basilar membrane.

A) temporal
B) place
C) traveling wave
D) volley

Question 32

According to the ______________ theory of Bekesy, the peak of the traveling wave occurs at a particular location along the basilar membrane, which, in turn, informs us to the frequency and amplitude of the sound signal.

A) frequency
B) place
C) traveling wave
D) volley

Question 33

The basis for hearing is the effect of a ______________ on the basilar membrane.

A) traveling wave
B) standing wave
C) multiple wavefront
D) tsunami

Question 34

Which of the following statements about the transformation of inner ear vibrations into nerve impulses is correct?

A) The basilar membrane is composed of fibers with different levels of resonance.
B) The frequency of basilar membrane vibrations determines the frequency of nerve impulses.
C) Different places on the basilar membrane respond to different rates of vibration.
D) The cochlear microphonic, which corresponds almost exactly to the source of sound, is generated by the auditory nerve.

Question 35

The relationship between the basilar membrane and sound frequency is best described as

A) sonatotypic.
B) tonotopic.
C) tectophonic.
D) holographic.

Question 36

The ear seems to generate its own sounds that are sometimes detectable at the outer ear. These sounds are called

A) tympanic emissions.
B) cochlear emissions.
C) ossicular emissions.
D) tectorial emissions.

Question 37

The production of sound by the ear is referred to as

A) cochlear emissions.
B) tinnitus.
C) traveling wave.
D) none of these

Question 38

A common test of hearing for new-born babies uses

A) functional magnetic resonance imaging.
B) otoacoustic emissions.
C) Zwicker tones.
D) outer hair cell stimulation.

Question 39

If you had tinnitus you would hear

A) a ringing in your ears even though no such sound was present in the outside world.
B) spontaneous low-frequency rumbling.
C) virtually nothing.
D) a continuous hum or staticlike "white" noise.

Question 40

Signals that are being sent to the muscles or to the site of the sensory receptors travel along
________________ fibers.

A) afferent fibers
B) efferent fibers
C) interneurons
D) none of these

Question 41

Most of the nerve fibers in the auditory nerve carry information from the

A) outer hair cells.
B) intermediate hair cells.
C) inner hair cells.
D) tectorial cells.

Question 42

To elicit a neural response from an auditory receptor, different frequencies have been shown to require different intensities. If you plotted the relationship between tone frequency and the minimum signal intensity necessary to elicit a neural response, you would have what is called a(an)

A) just noticeable difference.
B) delay line.
C) interaural time difference.
D) frequency tuning curve.

Question 43

If you determined an auditory nerve fiber's frequency-tuning curve, you'd be finding out the

A) number of different nerve fibers that respond to any given tone.
B) maximum sound intensity that still produces a noticeable increase in the fiber's firing rate for different frequencies.
C) minimum intensity needed to produce an increase in the fiber's firing rate for different frequencies.
D) range of frequencies over which a person can hear sound.

Question 44

A broad-band sound, such as static noise on the radio, activates

A) broad-band auditory nerve fibers only.
B) a number of different frequency-tuned auditory nerve fibers.
C) primarily low-frequency auditory nerve fibers.
D) a large number of fibers at low intensities and a small number at higher intensities.

Question 45

The basis for auditory localization is

A) primarily interaural time differences.
B) primarily interaural intensity differences.
C) both interaural time differences and interaural intensity differences.
D) primarily the sound shadow created by the head.

Question 46

For sounds not located directly ahead of an observer, the ear closer to the sound source receives a more intense sound. Such differences between the ears in the strength of the sound signal are thought to influence the perception of sound location. Such differences are referred to as

A) interaural time differences.
B) delay line.
C) interaural intensity difference.
D) none of these

Question 47

Across species, there is a direct relationship between auditory localization ability and the size of the

A) ear canal.
B) brain.
C) cochlea.
D) superior olive.

Question 48

There is a tonotopic organization in the

A) parabelt regions of the auditory cortex.
B) belt regions of the auditory cortex.
C) core region of the auditory cortex.
D) all of these

Question 49

Frequency modulated sounds occur

A) in human speech.
B) in bird calls.
C) in sirens.
D) in all of these

Question 50

Each individual neuron in the core area of the auditory cortex responds to

A) a broader range of frequencies than responded to by individual neurons of the belt region.
B) a narrower range of frequencies than responded to by individual neurons of the belt region.
C) the same range of frequencies as responded to by individual neurons of the belt region.
D) none of these

Question 51

Each individual neuron in the core area of the auditory cortex adapts

A) more slowly than do individual neurons of the belt region.
B) more quickly than do individual neurons of the belt region.
C) at the same rate as individual neurons of the belt region do.
D) none of these

Question 52

According to Lewicki (2002), natural sounds are ____________ and ____________, whereas speech sounds are ____________ and _____________.

A) harmonic, longer; broadband, briefer
B) harmonic, briefer; broadband, longer
C) broadband, longer; harmonic, briefer
D) broadband, briefer; harmonic, longer

Question 53

As you follow the processing of sounds through the auditory cortex, any given nerve cell responds to

A) a broader range of frequencies.
B) lower frequencies.
C) higher frequencies.
D) a narrower range of frequencies.

Question 54

The discovery that there are cells within the auditory cortex that respond not so much to frequency and intensity but to more complicated biological sounds suggests the existence of

A) binaural neurons.
B) auditory feature detectors.
C) frequency tuning curve.
D) none of these

Question 55

Imaging studies of the human auditory regions of the brain have shown

A) separate regions devoted to the identity and the location of sounds.
B) core, belt, and parabelt regions.
C) cortical magnification of particular frequencies.
D) all of these

Question 56

Subtle differences in the relative strengths of different frequencies lead to the differences in the characteristics of different sound sources (such as a trombone and a trumpet). This characteristic is called

A) timbre.
B) resonance.
C) sound color.
D) sound warmth.

Question 57

According to the work by Nobel prize-winning physicist Denis Gabor, which of the following would you expect to have the worst temporal resolution?

A) a neuron tuned to 50 Hz
B) a neuron tuned to 500 Hz
C) a neuron that saturates at 35 db
D) a neuron that saturates at 70 db

Question 58

Which of the following statements represents Zatorre, Belin, and Penhune's (2002) theory of how we manage to have good frequency and temporal resolution?

A) The left hemisphere is specialized for frequency analysis, and the right hemisphere is specialized for temporal analysis.
B) The inner hair cells mediate frequency differences, and the outer hair cells mediate temporal differences.
C) The cochlea analyzes frequency differences, and the semicircular canals analyze temporal differences.
D) The superior olive analyzes frequency differences, and the inferior colliculus analyzes temporal differences.

Question 59

A Zwicker tone is

A) an illusory tone of a particular frequency heard after the offset of notched noise.
B) an illusory tone of a particular frequency heard after the offset of a damagingly loud noise.
C) an illusory tone of a particular frequency heard continuously, especially in quiet conditions.
D) all of these

Question 60

Patients with brain damage to the auditory cortex may exhibit cortical deafness. This refers to

A) behavioral reaction to sounds that are not perceived.
B) reports of sounds when none are present.
C) inability to distinguish male from female voices.
D) ability to hear simple tones but not complex sounds.

Question 61

In what ways is hearing superior to seeing?

Question 62

What is the distinction between a pure tone and noise?

Question 63

Which portion of the ear-outer, middle, or inner-is most critically involved in hearing? Support your answer with reasons.

Question 64

The ear can be divided into three parts. As you describe each part, give its main structural properties and primary function(s). Wherever possible, show how each part's structural properties contribute to its function.

Question 65

Describe the impedance matching system of the middle ear.

Question 66

Describe the roles of the inner hair cells and the outer hair cells.

Question 67

Describe the role proposed for the basilar membrane in the temporal and place theories and the evidence supporting or refuting it.

Question 68

Suppose you could relocate your ears, placing one on top of your head and the other just under your chin. How would this change your hearing? Under what kind of living conditions might this be preferable ear placement?