Trace the path of sound through the auditory system to the site of transduction of sound

Audition, or hearing, is important to humans and to other animals for many different interactions. It enables an organism to detect and receive information about danger, such as an approaching predator, and to participate in communal exchanges like those concerning territories or mating. On the other hand, although it is physically linked to the auditory system, the vestibular system is not involved in hearing. Instead, an animal’s vestibular system detects its own movement, both linear and angular acceleration and deceleration, and balance.

What You’ll Learn to Do

• Describe the relationship of amplitude and frequency of a sound wave to attributes of sound
• Trace the path of sound through the auditory system
• Describe the process of creating sound
• Identify the structures of the vestibular system that respond to gravity

Learning Activities

The learning activities for this section include the following:

• Sound and Reception
• Transduction of Sound
• Vestibular Information
• Self Check: Hearing and Vestibular Sensation