Hearing Science Final Exam

As the intensity of a wideband noise increases, the importance of the frequency of the pure tone signal on sensitivity: -Stays the same -Increases -None of these -Decreases

Decreases

The ability to perceive the presence of a stimulus and distinguish it from silence: -Recognition -Detection -Memory -Comprehension

Detection

The four hierarchical levels of auditory behavior occur in the following order -Detection, Discrimination, Recognition, Comprehension -Recognition, Detection, Comprehension, Meta-Comprehension -Discrimination, Recognition, Detection, Comprehension -Detection, Recognition, Comprehension, Meta-Comprehension

Detection, Discrimination, Recognition, Comprehension

__________ is the ability to the perceive a sound while _________ is the ability to judge one sound as different from another. -Confirmation, discrimination -Discrimination, awareness -Awareness, comprehension -Detection, discrimination

Detection, discrimination

The rejection rate of a high pass filter will most influence the intensity of input signals: -None of the above -Much lower in frequency than the cutoff frequency of the filter -Exactly equal in frequency to the cutoff frequency of the filter -Much higher in frequency than the cutoff frequency of the filter

Much lower in frequency than the cutoff frequency of the filter

The decibel reference on an audiogram, and on an audiometer, and that we typically use in clinical application is: -dB SPL -dB SL -dB HL -dB IL

dB HL

Increase in the ________ of the medium may result in an ________ in the propagation velocity: -equilibrium, increase -density, decrease -density, increase -equilibrium, decrease

density, increase

Which of the following is not a term used to describe a threshold of discrimination: -just noticeable difference -differential threshold of sensitivity -difference limen -direct magnitude estimation

direct magnitude estimation

Wavelength is __________ proportional to the speed of sound and is _________ proportional to the frequency of vibration: -directly, inversely -directly, directly -inversely, inversely -inversely, directly

directly, inversely

Number of cycles of a vibration that occurs in 1s, measured in hertz (Hz): -period -wavelength -frequency -amplitude

frequency

Stevens and Tulving (1957) concluded that loudness growth is _________ relative to increases in intensity: -scalar -exponential -linear -non-linear

linear

Minimum audible pressure refers to __________ while minimum audible field refers to __________ -listening from a speaker, listening under binaural headphones -listening under monaural headphones, listening from a speaker -listening under binaural headphones, listening from a speaker -listening from a speaker, listening under monaural headphone

listening under monaural headphones, listening from a speaker

Two primary characteristics of the decibel scale include that it is based on the ________ and is also based on a _____: -logarithmic scale, ratio -linear scale, logarithmic scale -linear scale, ration -wavelength, linear scale

logarithmic scale, ratio

Sound wave motion, and more specifically the molecules in the medium as they are set into vibration, move in a manner consistent with _______ type waves: -transverse -surface -longitudinal -infrared

longitudinal

In the Sivian and White study from 1933, they tested hearing in two conditions including: -sound field and bone conduction -minimum audible field and sound field -monaural and headphones -monaural and binaural

monaural and binaural

Regarding the experimental paradigm used to demonstrate the effect of masking, the masker is: -The stimulus that the listener is trying to ignore -The stimulus that may interfere with the detection of the sound the listener is trying to hear -Always a noise -The stimulus that the listener is trying to detect

The stimulus that may interfere with the detection of the sound the listener is trying to hear

Loudness is a ___________ measure of sound -intuitive -physical -reflective -perceptual

perceptual

When vibration of an object occurs regularly and consistently over time: -periodic -oscillation -velocity -aperiodic

periodic

The relative position of a sine wave, vibrating periodically, at a defined moment in time during its oscillation: -equilibrium -amplitude -phase -frequency

phase

The unit of measurement in equal loudness contours is the -mel -decibel -sone -phon

phon

"Irregularities" in the masking function from Wegel and Lane (1924) are seen when the masker and the signal are the same frequency. These can be appreciated in the context of: -primary auditory beats -harmonic distortion -frequency camouflage -masking dilemma

primary auditory beats

As intensity is increased for low frequency sounds perceived loudness changes ________ while for high frequency sounds loudness changes _______ (where rapidly indicates the equivalent loudness measures are more closely aligned and slowly indicates that the lines are spaced out). -slowly, rapidly -rapidly, rapidly -slowly, slowly -rapidly, slowly

rapidly, slowly

Regions of higher and lower air pressure within a given medium: -angular velocity, harmonic velocity -atmospheric pressure, divergence -rarefaction, condensation -microwaves, ultraviolet waves

rarefaction, condensation

The alternating regions of low pressure and high pressure produced by an object's vibration are called, respectively: -condensations, compressions -constructive, deconstructive -troughs, valleys -rarefactions, condensations

rarefactions, condensations

Any discussion involving decibels must include their ____________ -reference -logarithm -wavelength -pressure

reference

The slope of the filter skirt is determined by the: -rejection rate -input rate -3 dB down point -output signal

rejection rate

A sound system is made up of the following: -acoustics, psychoacoustics, physics -frequency, period, vibration -source, medium, receiver -amplitude, wavelength, pure tone

source, medium, receiver

Simple harmonic motion: -relative position of a sine wave when oscillation begins -type of repetitive periodic motion defined mathematically as the linear projection of uniform angular velocity -one dimensional display of a sounds amplitude -aperiodic mechanical movement of an object, over time, around a lateral point or disequilibrium

type of repetitive periodic motion defined mathematically as the linear projection of uniform angular velocity

In which of the following would sound be unable to travel? -solid -liquid -vacuum -gas

vacuum

Stevens and Tulving (1957) used the following stimulus in their experiments of loudness: -pink noise -pure tone noise -magnitude noise -wideband noise

wideband noise

Calculate in decibels a sound source with intensity equal to 10-16 watts/cm2 -0 dB IL -10 dB IL -2 dB IL -6 dB IL

0 dB IL

Assuming a difference limen of 0.75 dB, and a standard or reference tone of 50 dB SL compared to a second tone of 50.5 dB SL, hypothetically a listener will be able to tell that there is a difference between these two sounds _____ of the time -100% -0% -75% -50%

0%

Given the following frequency, calculate the period in seconds (s): 1000 Hz -0.002s -0.001s -0.02s -0.01s

0.001s

Given a frequency of 12,500 Hz traveling through air, calculate wavelength in ft: -11 ft -9 ft -1.1 ft -0.09 ft

0.09 ft

Hawkins and Stevens (1950) investigated the masking effects of several intensity levels of a wideband noise masker. A wideband noise is: -A noise that has a very limited spectral range -A noise that has equal energy throughout a very broad frequency range -A stimulus created by mixing 20-30 pure tones -A periodic stimulus

A noise that has equal energy throughout a very broad frequency range

Usually, amount of masking, in dB can never be: A negative value A positive value Zero Larger than about 20 dB

A negative value

T/F: Our differential sensitivity for intensity is poorest for very low frequency sounds

True

T/F: Period is the TIME it takes a waveform to complete one cycle while wavelength is the DISTANCE between successive points on a wave traveling from a vibrating source.

True

T/F: Sound waves are simply changes in pressure that travel in waves and propagate through a medium

True

T/F: The unit of frequency, hertz (Hz), or cycles/second is named after the German scientist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz

True

T/F: When a wideband masker is at a low intensity, only our most-sensitive frequency region is affected

True

T/F: When two sine waves are 180 degrees out-of-phase we might say they are completely out-of-phase

True

Which of the following maskers has the greatest effect on a 1000 Hz pure tone signal? -A wideband noise at 30 dB spectrum level -A 1000 Hz pure tone at 20 dB SL -Speech at 30 dB SPL -A narrowband of noise centered at 1000 Hz at 65 dB SPL

A narrowband of noise centered at 1000 Hz at 65 dB SPL

Our ability to discriminate changes in intensity is best for frequencies: -1,000 to 5,000 Hz -5,000 to 10,000 Hz -35 to 70 Hz -70 to 1,000 Hz

1,000-5,000 Hz

The reference value for sound intensity is______ -10-8 watt/cm2 -10-16 watt/cm2 -0.0002 dynes/cm2 -0.02 dynes/cm2

10-16 watt/cm2

The area of greatest sensitivity in terms of frequency based on the data from Sivian and White includes: -1000 to 5000 Hz -5000 to 10,000 Hz -Above 10,000 Hz -100 to 1000 Hz

1000 to 5000 Hz

The approximate speed of sound (distance per unit of time) as it travels through air is: -200 ft/s -550 ft/s -1100 ft/s -10,100 ft/s

1100 ft/s

Given the following period in seconds (s), calculate the frequency: 0.0000625s -16,000 Hz -1,000 Hz -1,600 Hz -8,000 Hz

16,000 Hz

In the following table, if we arbitrarily define absolute threshold as the level at which the subject is able to detect the presence of a stimulus 70% of the time, then in this example what is the absolute threshold in dB SPL?

20

Two bels is equal to ____ decibels -10 -100 -20 -200

20

Consider the following masking study: Imagine that a given signal "S" is a 1000 Hz pure tone, and that the absolute threshold of this signal is measured to be 7.5 dB SPL in quiet for a given subject. Following, a wideband noise masker is presented at 40 dB SPL and the masked threshold is now measured to be 32.5 dB SPL. What is the amount of masking created for this signal in the presence of the masker? -7.5 dB -32.5 dB -40 dB -25 dB

25 dB

The critical frequency, or cutoff frequency, of a filter is determined by the: -output rate -rejection band -3 dB down point -input signal

3 dB down point

Given a wavelength of 226 ft, calculate the frequency in Hz for a sound traveling in air -113 Hz -226 Hz -0.20 Hz -5 Hz

5 Hz

When listening to a pure tone of 453 Hz at 50 dB SL together with a tone of 458 Hz at 50 dB SL, what frequency of amplitude modulation or beats would we expect to hear, in other words how frequently would the beats occur: -3 Hz -435 Hz -458 Hz -5 Hz

5 Hz

Among individuals who meet qualifications for cochlear implant candidacy what percentage actually receive and become users of the technology: -2% -5% -9% -11%

5%

Assuming absolute threshold for a particular frequency is equal to 25 dB HL, then 50 dB SL would be equal to: -0 dB HL -75 dB HL -50 dB HL -25 dB HL

75 dB HL

Calculate in decibels a sound source with pressure equal to 13 dynes/cm2 -76 dB SPL -96 dB SPL -48 dB SPL -90 dB SPL

96 dB SPL

Filters are devices that ____________ certain sounds based on their ____________ -Amplify; frequency -Attenuate; intensity -Attenuate; frequency -Amplify; intensity

Attenuate; frequency

Which model for pure tone excitation pattern represents higher frequency in this figure?

B

In his classic paper, Fletcher (1940) hypothesized that each ½ mm length of the basilar membrane represents separate and discrete internal auditory: -Bandpass filters -Low pass filters -Amplifiers -High pass filters

Bandpass filters

Which of the following means hearing with an implant and a hearing aid together: -Bilateral hearing -Bimodal hearing -Monaural hearing -Binaural hearing

Bimodal hearing

T/F: A complete cycle of vibration in which the tines of the tuning fork have returned to their resting position corresponds to a phase of 180 degrees

False

T/F: Fourier analysis is the process of combining sine waves to produce more complex periodic vibrations

False

T/F: High frequency sounds maximally stimulate the apex of the cochlea

False

T/F: Human vocal folds are an example of the "receiver" of a sound system

False

T/F: Intensity is measured in cycles/second

False

T/F: Listening under an earphone versus listening in a free field are equivalent when measuring thresholds in dB SPL

False

T/F: The bandwidth of the critical bands are roughly constant for critical bands with center frequencies between 50 Hz through 10,000 Hz

False

T/F: The distance from one point of maximum displacement to another is called equilibrium

False

T/F: The growth of loudness for low, medium, and high intensity pure-tone sounds across the frequency range of human hearing is approximately equivalent

False

T/F: The masking effects of a wideband noise signal are equal across frequency.

False

T/F: The role of intensity on our differential sensitivity is significant for moderately loud and loud sounds, but not for soft sounds.

False

T/F: The sone represents an ordinal scale while the phone represents a ratio scale

False

T/F: The typically functioning human auditory system is relatively poor at discriminating changes in sound intensity

False

T/F: Weber's law holds true for sound intensity discrimination in the human ear

False

T/F: When resolving power is poor we require very small differences between sounds to judge them as being different.

False

T/F: When the amount of masking is small, this suggests that the influence of the masker on changing the audibility of the signal is large

False

True/False: Measures of absolute thresholds are limited to the auditory system

False

Which of the following is not a disabling impact of hearing loss -Reduced interpersonal communication -Increased economic independence -Decline in psychosocial well-being -Cognitive decline

Increased economic independence

Imagine a high-pass filter with a cutoff frequency of 1000 Hz. How will the intensity of a 2000 Hz pure tone change after entering the filter? -It will have the same intensity at the output of the filter, compared to going into the filter -Whether the intensity changes is solely determined by the rejection rate of the filter, not the cutoff frequency -It will have a higher intensity at the output of the filter, compared to going into the filter -It will have a lower intensity at the output of the filter, compared to going into the filter

It will have the same intensity at the output of the filter, compared to going into the filter

T/F: Frequency and intensity of sounds play a significant role in how humans are able to hear

True

A unit of loudness that is obtained using a procedure of indirect loudness estimation: -Contour -Sone -Decibel -Phon

Phon

T/F: High frequency sounds maximally stimulate the base of the cochlea

True

A type of mathematical equation that plots performance of a participant on a perceptual task against a physical aspect of stimulus, such as contrast, size, or intensity: -Auditory sensitivity equation -Psychoacoustic function -Absolute threshold model -Psychometric function

Psychometric function

A condition in which a sound is relatively high in level yet the nerve fiber cannot fire with any greater rate or duration: -Inhibition -Spontaneous Activity -Excitation -Saturation

Saturation

A unit of loudness that is obtained using a procedure of direct loudness estimation: -Sone -Decibel -Phon -Contour

Sone

Imagine a listener is presented with two separate maskers. The experimenter is interested in the effect of these two maskers on a 1000 Hz tone. The amount of masking measured with the first masker (A) is 0 dB. The amount of masking measured with the second masker (B) is 25 dB. Which of the following statements is true? -The signal is never audible in the presence of masker A -The detection of the signal is not influenced by the presence of the masker A -The signal is never audible in the presence of masker B -The audibility of the signal is better in the presence of masker B than it is in the presence of masker A

The detection of the signal is not influenced by the presence of the masker A

The basic premise behind the theory of tonotopic organization is that: -The ear organizes, represents and analyzes sounds equally, regardless of the frequency of the sound -The ear organizes, represents and analyzes sounds selectively, based on the frequency of the sound -The ear has no role in the organization, representation and analysis of frequency information from a sound -The ear organizes, represents and analyzes sounds in a random and unpredictable fashion, regardless of the frequency of the sound

The ear organizes, represents and analyzes sounds selectively, based on the frequency of the sound

Upward spread of masking is most related to: -The increase of the effectiveness of a pure tone masker on a pure tone signal of higher frequency, as the masker intensity increases -The increase of the effectiveness of a wideband noise masker on a 2000 Hz pure tone -The increase in the amount of masking with the increase in intensity of any type of masker -The notches or irregularities of the masking function of a pure tone masker

The increase of the effectiveness of a pure tone masker on a pure tone signal of higher frequency, as the masker intensity increases

T/F: A tuning fork is an example of a linear projection of uniform angular velocity

True

T/F: At rest a tuning fork is said to be at equilibrium

True

T/F: Attenuation means the reduction of the amplitude of a signal, force, effect, or value of something

True

T/F: Based on the following graph, our discrimination ability for sound intensities is better than what would be predicted by Weber's law

True

T/F: Fletcher and Munson's experiment (1933) focused on a loudness balancing procedure in which they calculated the intensity of the variable tone having equal loudness to a reference tone

True

The model of excitation pattern found in the Loven text and discussed in class reflects movement of the __________ within the cochlea: -basilar membrane -semi-circular canals -oval window -tympanic membrane

basilar membrane

An experimental performance criteria set to 50% in the context of a 2-interval forced choice task is equal to -chance -75% accuracy -the null -100% accuracy

chance

When a sound source produces energy at more than one frequency, the result is a ___________ sound. -Loud -Simple -Complex -Sinusoidal

complex

In the case of a patient with elevated (intensity levels are numerically greater) absolute threshold as it relates to hearing the following is true -lower sound intensities are required to detect the sound, sound is easier to hearing, sensitivity is poor -greater sound intensities are required to detect the sound, sound is harder to hear, sensitivity is poor -lower sound intensities are required to detect the sound, sound is harder to hear, sensitivity is good -greater sound intensities are required to detect the sound, sounder is easier to hear, sensitivity is good

greater sound intensities are required to detect the sound, sound is harder to hear, sensitivity is poor

Which of the following is not a characteristic of band-pass filters? -has a higher cutoff frequency -has a lower cutoff frequency -has a center frequency -has a continuous frequency

has a continuous frequency

When you are close to hearing threshold and decrease stimulus intensity, Difference Limen (DL) -stays the same -decreases -is equivocal -increases

increases