Perception of sound

Perception of sound

The external ear collects waves and funnels them to the eardrum so as to make it vibrate. The malleus then transmits the vibrations to the incus, which then passes these vibrations to the stapes. The vibrations are converted to electrical signals by the hair cells. The electrical signal then excites the auditory nerve fibres, which transfers the signals to the brain (Society for Neuroscience, 2012).

The human hearing system picks up several qualities in any signal it detects. It does not combine the frequencies of different sounds rather it separates the complex waves into their component frequencies. This allows one to follow different voices when listening to conversations. Sound of a particular frequency and waveform sets up a certain characteristic pattern on the basilar membranes (Society for Neuroscience, 2012). If this pattern is recurring enough, it is recognized as belonging to a definite sound.

The hearing senses capture waves from the external world using the external ear. Through the mechanical mechanism described above, the brain perceives the sound. The sound is a perception of the brain. The worlds is calm and soundless but the brain creates the sounds to enable us understand. This explains why there is a hearing problem when one has a brain damage. With a brain damage, the brain fails to perceive the sound and hearing does not occur. Again, if there is damage to the ear, the waves are not received and so the brain has nothing to process and perceive. If sounds were not a perception of the mind, then one would be able to hear it even with a damaged brain. The world is not as we know it, everything in it is a perception of the brain through sensation.

 

Reference

Society for Neuroscience. (2012, April 1). Hearing. Retrieved March 24, 2016, from http://www.brainfacts.org/sensing-thinking-behaving/senses-and-perception/articles/2012/hearing/

 
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