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Module 2 - Psychoacoustics

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Psychoacoustics  ::  Hearing  ::  Loudness  ::  Pitch  ::  Harmony  ::  Scales

Hearing

The human auditory system is complex in structure and remarkable in function. Not only does it respond to a wide range of stimuli, but it precisely identifies the pitch and timbre (quality) of a sound and even the direction of the source. The frequency range of hearing extends from 20 to 20,000 Hz for some, substantially less for others.

To successfully complete this chapter you should...

  • Read chapter 5 in your text book (pages 53 - 62).
  • Carefully study the important concepts about hearing.
  • Be able to list the parts of the ear and describe its function in hearing.
  • Be able to use logarithms and the logarithmic scale.

Important Concepts

Hearing function
Dynamic range
Frequency response
Sensitivity
Prebycusis
Selectivity Structure of the ear
Outer ear
Middle ear
Inner ear Signal processing
Tuning curves
Critical bands (critical bandwidth)
Binaural hearing
Localization, Precedence effect, Hass effect Psychoacoustics (Fechner's law)
Logarithms

Animations

The Ear (SWF)

Copyright 2008, by the Contributing Authors. Cite/attribute Resource. admin. (2005, January 25). Module 2 - Psychoacoustics. Retrieved November 22, 2009, from Free Online Course Materials — USU OpenCourseWare Web site: http://ocw.usu.edu/Electrical_and_Computer_Engineering/Science_of_Sound/Module_2_-_Psychoacoustics_1.htm. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Creative Commons License
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