Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

R E C A P / E V A L U A T E / R E T H I N K
R E C A P
What role does the ear play in the senses of sound, motion, 
and balance?
• Sound, motion, and balance are centered in the ear. 
Sounds, in the form of vibrating air waves, enter through 
the outer ear and travel through the auditory canal until 
they reach the eardrum. (p. 114)
• The vibrations of the eardrum are transmitted into the 
middle ear, which consists of three bones: the hammer, 
the anvil, and the stirrup. These bones transmit 
vibrations to the oval window. (p. 114)
• In the inner ear, vibrations move into the cochlea, which 
encloses the basilar membrane. Hair cells on the basilar 
membrane change the mechanical energy of sound 
waves into nerve impulses that are transmitted to the 
brain. The ear is also involved in the sense of balance 
and motion. (p. 114)
• Sound has a number of physical characteristics, 
including frequency and amplitude. The place theory of 
hearing and the frequency theory of hearing explain the 
processes by which we distinguish sounds of varying 
frequency and intensity. (p. 115) 
FIGURE 6 
(a) Try to pick out the 2s in 
the display. Most people take several 
seconds to fi nd them buried among the 
5s and to see that the 2s form a triangle. 
For people with certain forms of synes-
thesia, however, it’s easy, because they 
perceive the diff erent numbers in 
contrasting colors as in (b). 
(Source: From 
“Hearing Colors, Tasting Shapes” by Vilayanur 
S. Ramachandran and Edward M. Hubbard. 
Copyright © 2003 by Scientifi c American, Inc. 
All rights reserved.)
(a)
(b)
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