The auditory system is responsible for converting sound waves in the environment into electrical signals that the brain can receive and utilize as useful information about the sound characteristics of the external environment. Test your basic knowledge of auditory physiology by taking this simple quiz.
(1) The scientific term used to refer to earwax is __________.
(2) Gradual hearing loss associated with aging is referred to as __________.
(3) The main forms of hearing loss are:
(4) Hearing loss caused by the accumulation of fluid in the middle ear results from a diminished ability of the eardrum and ossicles to transmit sound waves to the inner ear. This type of hearing loss is referred to as:
(5) Hearing loss caused as a result of damage done to the organ of Corti (e.g., death of hair cells) leads to this type of hearing loss.
(6) In the horizontal plane, determining the direction from which sounds emanate (referred to as sound localization) depends heavily on detecting the difference in time between the arrival of sound waves in the two ears. The ear closer to the source of sound receives the signal shortly before the ear farther from the source of sound. The shortest time difference in sound arrival at the two ears that can be detected by the auditory system is approximately: