Acoustic Hearing
How We Hear
For most individuals, acoustic hearing is the primary mechanism for processing sounds in an environment. Acoustic hearing is when the ears convert sound waves into neural signals to be processed by the auditory cortex, an area of the brain responsible for processing sound. The auditory cortex then sends the signal to different areas of the brain, allowing us to know the location, identity, and meaning of the sound.
Real World Example of Acoustic Hearing
1. A police siren moves through air as Sound Waves
A police car coming down the road switches on its siren. The sound of the siren travels as sound waves, or vibrations in the air molecules, eventually reaching our ears.
2. The sound waves send vibrations through the ear to the cochlea
As the sound waves from the siren enter the ear, they go through the ear canal and vibrate the eardrum. The eardrum vibrations move three tiny bones in the middle ear called the ossicles, sending vibrations into the cochlea.
3. The sound waves send vibrations through the ear to the cochlea
The cochlea is a fluid-filled, spiral-like structure that houses tiny hair cells. Each hair cell detects a specific frequency or pitch. An example of high-frequency sound would be a bell ringing, while low frequencies could be a kick to a drum.
The hair cells are organized in tonotopical order; cells closer to the entrance of the cochlea detect high frequencies, while the hair cells at the end of the cochlea detect lower frequencies.
4. Sound vibrations activate hair cells in the cochlea, sending signals to the brain
The sound causes vibrations in the cochlear fluid, causing hair cells to move. As the hair cells move, they send neural signals through the auditory nerve and into the auditory cortex of the brain allowing us to identify the sound as a police siren.
Why is this Important?
For most individuals, acoustic hearing is the primary mechanism for processing sounds in an environment. Acoustic hearing is when the ears convert sound waves into neural signals to be processed by the auditory cortex, an area of the brain responsible for processing sound. The auditory cortex then sends the signal to different areas of the brain, allowing us to know the location, identity, and meaning of the sound.
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