Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

place theory of hearing ,
which states that different areas of 
the basilar membrane respond to different frequencies.
However, place theory does not tell the full story of hearing, because very low 
frequency sounds trigger neurons across such a wide area of the basilar membrane 
that no single site is involved. Consequently, an additional explanation for hearing 
has been proposed: frequency theory. The
 frequency theory of hearing 
suggests that 
the entire basilar membrane acts as a microphone, vibrating as a whole in response 
to a sound. According to this explanation, the nerve receptors send out signals that 
are tied directly to the frequency (the number of wave crests per second) of the 
sounds to which we are exposed, with the number of nerve impulses being a direct 
function of a sound’s frequency. Thus, the higher the pitch of a sound (and therefore 
the greater the frequency of its wave crests), the greater the number of nerve impulses 
that are transmitted up the auditory nerve to the brain.
Neither place theory nor frequency theory provides the full explanation for hear-
ing. Place theory provides a better explanation for the sensing of high-frequency 
place theory of hearing
The theory 
that different areas of the basilar 
membrane respond to different 
frequencies.
frequency theory of hearing
The 
theory that the entire basilar mem-
brane acts like a microphone, vibrating 
as a whole in response to a sound.
Lower frequency
(lower pitch)
Time
Amplitude
Higher frequency
(higher pitch)
FIGURE 2 
The sound waves produced by 
diff erent stimuli are transmitted—usually 
through the air—in diff erent patterns, 
with lower frequencies indicated by fewer 
peaks and valleys per second. 
(Source: 
Seeley, Stephens, & Tate, 2000.)
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