lecture 17 from a college level introduction to psychology course taught Fall 2011 by Brian J. Piper, Ph.D. (psy391@gmail.com) at Willamette University, includes anatomy of ear, sound localization

1. Sensation & Perception II:
Audition+
Brian J. Piper, Ph.D.

2. Objectives
• Audition (hearing)
• Olfaction (smell)
• Gustatory (taste)
• Touch/Pain & pain
control!

3. Audition
Sound waves are compressing and expanding air
molecules.
Wavelength: determines pitch, measured in Hz (20 – 20kHz)
Amplitude: determines loudness, measured in dB

4. Loudness
120 dB
-----------------------------------------

5. Pitch
• 50 kHz: +
– Drugs Testing consisted of placing the subjects in a 45 by
3520 cm opaque plastic test box with corn-cob bedding.
– Sex Subjects then received 2 min exposure to a
– Play standard tickle test-sessions consisting of four successive
cycles of 15 s of no stimulation followed by 15 s of
– “Tickling” tickle stimulation [13]. This procedure was conducted
once per day for two consecutive days. For all animals
• 22 kHz: - (in this and all subsequent experiments) the tickling was
done with the right hand and consisted of rapid initial
– Cold finger movements across the back with a focus on the
neck, followed by rapidly turning the animals over on
– Fear their backs, with vigorous tickling of their ventral surface,
followed by release after a few seconds of stimulation.
This was repeated throughout each tickling session. Even
Paaksep & Burgdorf (2000) Behav Brain Research, though the tickling was brisk and assertive,care was
115, 25-38.
taken not to frighten the animals.

6. Hearing
• Sound -> Ear -> Auditory Nerve -> Temporal
Cortex

7. Dr. Fred Hossler/ Visuals Unlimited
The Ear

8. The Ear
Outer Ear: Collects and sends sounds to the eardrum.
Middle Ear: Chamber between eardrum and cochlea
containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, stirrup)
that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the
cochlea.
Inner Ear: Innermost part of the ear, containing the
cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs.

9. Cochlea
Cochlea: Coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the
inner ear that transforms sound vibrations to
auditory signals.
Carpet Explanation

10. Localization of Sounds
Because we have two ears, sounds that reach
one ear faster than the other ear cause us to
localize the sound.

11. Localization of Sound
1. Intensity differences
2. Time differences
Time differences as small as 1/100,000 of a second
can cause us to localize sound. The head acts as a
“shadow” or partial sound barrier.

12. Critical & Sensitive Periods
• Time during development when
stimulation is especially important
• Visual example
• Language example

13. Neuroplasticity (10% Myth)
Merabet & Pascual-Leone (2010) Nature Neurosci, 11, 44-52.

14. Touch
The sense of touch is a mix of four distinct skin
senses—pressure, warmth, cold, and pain.

15. Skin Senses
Only pressure has identifiable receptors. All other
skin sensations are variations of pressure, warmth,
cold and pain.
Pressure Vibration
Burning hot Cold, warmth and pain

16. Hereditary Sensory Autonomic
Neuropathy
Pain tells the body that something has gone
wrong. Usually pain results from damage to the
skin and other tissues. A rare disease exists in
which the afflicted person feels no pain.
AP Photo/ Stephen Morton
Ashley Blocker (right) feels neither pain
nor extreme hot or cold.

17. Hereditary Sensory Autonomic
Neuropathy
Pain tells the body that something has gone
wrong. Usually pain results from damage to the
skin and other tissues. A rare disease exists in
which the afflicted person feels no pain.
5 min:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vLsZ_dXFAg

18. “I feel your pain”
• fMRI is used in females to examine activation
during pain (electric shock) versus non-pain
• Self versus significant other
Singer et al. (2004). Science, 303, 1157-1162.

19. Empathy for Pain
Pain > No Pain
Self
Other
Singer et al. (2004). Science, 303, 1157-1162.

20. Sympathetic Pregnancy
• Male experiences:
– Weight gain
– Nausea
– Hormone abnormalities
– Labor pains

21. Therapeutic Touch
• Worth -> Neuroscience & Methodology ->
Scientific Attitude
Rosa et al. (1998). JAMA, 279, 1005-1010.

22. Therapeutic Touch
• Worth -> Neuroscience & Methodology ->
Scientific Attitude
Rosa et al. (1998). JAMA, 279, 1005-1010.

23. Therapeutic Touch
• Worth -> Neuroscience & Methodology ->
Scientific Attitude
Rosa et al. (1998). JAMA, 279, 1005-1010.

24. Gate-Control Theory
Melzack and Wall (1965, 1983) proposed that our
spinal cord contains neurological “gates” that
either block pain or allow it to be sensed.

25. Pain Control & Acupuncture
Pain can be controlled by a number of therapies
including drugs, surgery, exercise, hypnosis, and
even thought distraction.

26. Pain Control & Acupuncture
• Chronic back pain patients completed a
double-blind study with 6 licensed
acupuncturists (4-19 years experience):
– Individualized
– Standardized
– Sham
– Usual Care

27. Interpretation?

28. Evaluating Information
• Backward- Pubmed
• Forward: Google Scholar

29. Biopsychosocial Influences

30. Taste
Traditionally, taste sensations consisted of sweet,
salty, sour, and bitter tastes. Recently, receptors for
a fifth taste have been discovered called “Umami”.
Sweet Sour Salty Bitter Umami
(Fresh
Chicken)

31. Receptors
• Sweet: sucrose
• Sour: pH
• Saltiness: NaCl
• Bitter: organic (Carbon)
• Umami: Monosodium Glutamate
• Fat: ?

32. Smell
Like taste, smell is a chemical sense. Odorants
enter the nasal cavity to stimulate 5 million
receptors to sense smell. Unlike taste, there are
many different forms of smell.

33. Tracking in Humans
Porter et al. (2006) Nature Neuroscience, 10, 27-29.
Quick Time Video (2 min): ID 80474881 PW 03171962
http://www.nature.com.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/neuro/journal/v10/n1/extref/nn1819-S2.mov

34. Sensory Interaction
When one sense affects another sense, sensory
interaction takes place. So, the taste of strawberry
interacts with its smell and its texture on the
tongue to produce flavor.

35. Smell and Memories
The brain region for
smell (in red) is closely
connected with the
brain regions involved
with memory (limbic
system). That is why
strong memories are
made through the sense
of smell.

36. 6th Sense: Body Position and
Movement
The sense of our body parts’ position and
movement is called kinesthesis. The vestibular
sense monitors the head (and body’s) position.

37. Integration of Auditory & Visual
• McGurk Effect
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-
lN8vWm3m0

38. Brain & Senses
• Phantom Limb Pain: may occur following
loss of appendage
• Tinnitus: an auditory sensation that may
occur following hearing loss
• Phantom Sights: visual hallucinations that
may occur following visual loss

39. Psychological Factors in
Perception
• Kids: carrots + milk
• Adults: wine & music (Joshua Bell)
• Last 30 sec:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnOPu0_YWhw

40. Pain Perception
• Harvard
undergraduates rated
the painfulness of
electric shocks.
• A confederate was
employed to
manipulate
intentionality.
Gray & Wegner (2008) Psychological Science, 19, 1260-1262.

41. Summary
• Structures of Sensation
• Perception > Sensation
• John Milton: The mind is its own place, and in
itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of
heaven.