Miss Emily Pozzuoli
EXP3202C
Lab Report 1
Introduction
Audition, or the sense that allows one to hear via the perception of the amplitude and frequency of sound waves, was the sense tested during the course of this experiment. The mechanical processes involved in hearing include air vibrations that enter the outer ear and are converted to fluid vibration in the inner ear, which are then transduced to electrical signals sent to the brain for interpretation. (Connelly, 2014) Any time an object vibrates it creates sound waves that move the air molecules around it causing pressure changes at various speeds presenting as sound waves. The two characteristics of sound waves, frequency and amplitude create the pitch and loudness quality of the sound. Frequency, or the number of waves occurring per unit of time, creates the high or low pitch of the sound and is measured in Hertz. Amplitude, or the height of the sound waves create the loudness or intensity of the given sound and are measured in Decibels. Humans can perceive frequencies ranging between 20 and 20,000 Hertz as audible sounds. (Connelly, 2014)
During the course of this experiment, the human threshold for perceived sound at particular amplitudes and frequencies was measured. The purpose of the experiment was to determine at exactly which amplitude sound waves would be perceived as audible to the human ear. In addition, determining if habituation or expectation occurred during the course of the testing is a goal of this experiment. Habituation is defined as occurring when a participant fails to change an answer quickly or changes an answer after the stimulus has passed. Expectation is defined as occurring when the participant expects a stimulus to change or occur when in fact it does not. Expectation can be measured by recording the times that the descending mean is greater than the ascending mean for a particular frequency. This threshold for audible sound was measured at six different frequencies, and the average thresholds
Lab Report 1
Introduction
Audition, or the sense that allows one to hear via the perception of the amplitude and frequency of sound waves, was the sense tested during the course of this experiment. The mechanical processes involved in hearing include air vibrations that enter the outer ear and are converted to fluid vibration in the inner ear, which are then transduced to electrical signals sent to the brain for interpretation. (Connelly, 2014) Any time an object vibrates it creates sound waves that move the air molecules around it causing pressure changes at various speeds presenting as sound waves. The two characteristics of sound waves, frequency and amplitude create the pitch and loudness quality of the sound. Frequency, or the number of waves occurring per unit of time, creates the high or low pitch of the sound and is measured in Hertz. Amplitude, or the height of the sound waves create the loudness or intensity of the given sound and are measured in Decibels. Humans can perceive frequencies ranging between 20 and 20,000 Hertz as audible sounds. (Connelly, 2014)
During the course of this experiment, the human threshold for perceived sound at particular amplitudes and frequencies was measured. The purpose of the experiment was to determine at exactly which amplitude sound waves would be perceived as audible to the human ear. In addition, determining if habituation or expectation occurred during the course of the testing is a goal of this experiment. Habituation is defined as occurring when a participant fails to change an answer quickly or changes an answer after the stimulus has passed. Expectation is defined as occurring when the participant expects a stimulus to change or occur when in fact it does not. Expectation can be measured by recording the times that the descending mean is greater than the ascending mean for a particular frequency. This threshold for audible sound was measured at six different frequencies, and the average thresholds
Cited: Connelly,P.E. (2014). the hearing system. Better Hearing Institute. P. 1-3. http://www.betterhearing.org/hearingpedia/how-we-hear