Psychology 3215

Questions about Hearing to Ponder before Test 4

Spring 2024


1. How can you tell the difference between a binocular and a monocular depth cue?

2. What is the size-distance issue with monocular depth cues?

3. How does "linear perspective" work?  How can artists use linear perspective to both produce and mock 3D effects?

4. What are examples of monocular depth cues? How/why do the monocular depth cues work?

5. Be able to examine a picture and identify monocular depth cues. 

6. How does motion parallax work?  How is it different from pictorial cues?

7. Understand sound waves and the physical measures of frequency (Hertz) and amplitude (decibel). What does it mean to go from 100 Hz to 200 Hz? What does saying a sound is 0 dB SPL mean? What does it mean to go from 0 dB to 40 dB SPL?

8. Understand describing sound waves as sine waves. In what sense is this description accurate and inaccurate? What happens when sound waves collide or combine?  Do they magnify or destroy each other? 

9. Know the difference between pitch vs. frequency, loudness vs. amplitude.

10. Know the structure of the ear. Be able to follow the sequence from a sound wave hitting the pinna to the bending of a hair cell. Understand the different functions of the Inner Hair Cells and the Outer Hair Cells.

11. Consider the cases of a 50 Hz and a 5000 Hz sound signal. Know how these signals affect the basilar membrane and produce different pitch experiences according to the Rutherford/Wever frequency/volley explanation and the place explanations of Helmholtz and Von Bekesy.

12.  What are the two basic types of hearing loss? 

13. How does an audiogram work?  How do we separate them using an audiogram? (Be able to read an audiogram.) 

14. If we are all losing the ability to hear then what is the warning sign that someone needs hearing aids?

15. Understand the azimuth/relative bearing system for indicating direction.

16. Know how interaural intensity differences contribute to localization of sounds. Does this work with all frequencies?

18. Know how interaural time differences contribute to localization of sounds. Does this work with all frequencies? 

19. Why do we have difficulty discriminating between a sound located at 0 and at 180 degrees? Explain why moving your head makes localizing a sound easier.

20. The duplex theory of sound localization was tested in an experiment by Stevens and Newman. What were the results? What do the results suggest for human hearing?