Perception
The ear’s structure has three parts that include the middle ear, inner, and outer ear. The outer ear involves the short auditory canal and pinna. The outer ear gathers waves of sound and guides them inter entering the tympanic membrane. Additionally, the middle ear refers to a thin air-filled hollow in a temporal bone. The middle ear is spanned by auditory ossicles such as malleus, stapes, and incus. Its function is to conduct sound from the external ear through the tympanic layer into the organism’s inner ear. The next part is the inner ear, which is a complex coordination of fluid-filled cavities and passageways. It is located deep in the rock-hard petrous part of the temporal bone. It also consists of vestibular apparatus and cochlea that comprise sensory organ of hearing.
Question 2
The determination of location in the brain includes several cues for sound source localization comprising intensity difference between ears, timing analysis, pattern matching, and correlation analysis (Grothe, Pecka & McAlpine, 2010). Contrary to determining the location of the visual object in the brain is done through a cascade of reflexive, large feedforward calculations that conclude in a neuronal depiction in the temporal cortex. It is done in the visual pathway from retina to cortex.
Question 3
The surprising research on hearing loss in urban versus rural environments is that people in rural areas are more likely to have hearing loss. For instance, people in rural areas are exposed to loud music and smoke that is not commonly encountered in urban environments. The noise exposure to residents in rural areas can lead to hearing damage.
References
Flamme, G. A. (2004). Hearing Loss Risk Factors and Strategies in Rural Areas. Perspectives on Hearing Conservation and Occupational Audiology, 10(1), 17-20.
Grothe, B., Pecka, M., & McAlpine, D. (2010). Mechanisms of sound localization in mammals. Physiological reviews, 90(3), 983-1012.