PSYCH JOURNAL 9/25/2013

PSYCH JOURNAL 9/25/2013•What sounds do you enjoy?•What sounds so you hate?•What songs hold memories for you?

Hearing

If a tree falls in a forest, and nobody hears it, is there a sound?•Psychologically speaking, no. •Sound is a psychological event that

depends on the nervous system to send the physical energy of a sound wave to nerve impulses in our brain.

•Without a brain to register the energy, there is no sound!!!!!

What we hear•Sound is the vibration of molecules (gas,

liquid, or solid) that creates a wave of pressure

•Auditory – Related to the sense of hearing

Three Characteristics of Sound Waves

•Related to the intensity of the wave’s pressure

•Corresponds to the height of the wave

•Measured in decibels

1. Loudness

•Related to the frequency of the wave▫Frequency refers to how rapidly the wave

vibrates

Three Characteristics of Sound Waves2. Pitch

High Pitch =High Frequency

Low Pitch= Low Frequency

•Refers to the quality of a sound and the complexity of the sound wave

•A pure tone consists of only one frequency (rare)

•We hear complex waves consisting of several sub waves with different frequencies

Three Characteristics of Sound Waves3. Timbre

Anatomy of the ear•Cochlea – snail shaped structure in the inner

ear that contains the receptors for hearing▫When a sound wave enters, fluid in the cochlea

vibrates▫This vibration creates wavelike motions that push

on the basilar membrane (which runs through the middle of the cochlea)

•Cilia- Hair cells in the ear rise and fall, which initiates a signal that is passed on to the auditory nerve

Loud noises can damage the hair cells in your ear!!!

On to the brain•Eardrum –

Sound waves cause it to vibrate

•Auditory nerve –Carries auditory messages to the brain (auditory cortex in temporal lobe)

Perceiving the auditory world•In the brain, sounds are organized to

construct a meaningful auditory world•We remember sounds, and can recognize

people’s voices, songs, etc.•Sounds help us estimate distance and

direction•What we expect to hear influences what

we actually hear•We can hear our name in a loud room

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbe-oIehMDM&feature=related

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3jrWVp2L7U

•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD-E-LDc384

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCfWHqrYUqo

•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-fFHeTX70Q