Abstract
The aim of this paper is to evaluate measures of acoustic-power transfer for comparisons of the performance of the auditory peripheries of different species. To do so we will define three power transfer measures that can be computed from available data. The measures also separate the auditory periphery into functional subunits so as to enable estimations of the roles of different auditory specializations.
The three measures of power transfer are: the Tower Utilization Ratio at the TM” (PUR), the “Effective Area of the External Ear” (EA), and the “Middle Ear Efficiency” (MEE). The three power measures serve different purposes: PUR is an index of the impedance-matching performance of the external and middle ear; EA and MEE quantify power flow through the external and middle ears. The EA and MEE can be combined to obtain a single measure of the power into the cochlea that we call the “Net Effective Area” (NEA).
Our analysis suggests (1) the impedances of external and middle ears are poorly matched, (2) an appreciable fraction of the sound power which enters the middle ear is absorbed before it reaches the cochlea, (3) cochlear function at auditory threshold for pure tones can be roughly approximated by a power detector, and (4) the quantification of power transfer through the ears of different species is a useful comparative tool.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Dallos, P. The Auditory Periphery. Academic Press, New York, 548 pg., 1973.
Dancer, A. and Franke, R., “Intracochlear sound pressure measurements in guinea pigs.” Hearing Res. 2, pp. 191–206, 1980.
Guinan, J.J., Jr and Peake, W.T., “Middle-ear characteristics of anesthetized cats.” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 41, pp. 1237–1261, 1967.
Hudde, H., “Measurement of the eardrum impedance of human ears.” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 73, pp. 242–247, 1983.
Johansen, P.A., “Measurement of the human ear canal.” Acoustica 33, pp. 349–351, 1975.
Khanna, S.M. and Sherrick, C. “The comparative sensitivity of selected receptor systems.” In The Vestibular System: Function and Morphology, Ed. by T. Gualtierotti, Springer-Verlag, New York, pp. 337–348, 1981.
Khanna, S.M. and Stinson, M.R., “Specification of the acoustical input to the ear at high frequencies.” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 77, pp. 577–589, 1985.
Khanna, S.M. and Tonndorf, J., “Middle ear power transfer.” Arch. Klin. exp. Ohr.-, Nas. -u. Kehlk. Heilk. 193, pp. 78–88, 1969.
Killion, M.C. and Dallos, P., “Impedance matching by the combined effects of the outer and middle ear.” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 66, pp. 599–602, 1979.
Kringlebotn, M. and Gunderson, T., “Frequency characteristics of the middle ear.” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 77, pp. 159–164, 1985.
Lynch, T.J., III, Signal processing by the cat middle ear: Admittance and transmission, measurements and models. Ph.D. Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA., 256 pg., 1981.
Lynch, T.J., III, Nedzelnitsky, V. and Peake, W.T., “Input impedance of the cochlea in cat.” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 72, pp. 108–130, 1982.
Malecki, I., Physical Foundations of Technical Acoustics. Pergamon Press, Oxford. 743 pg., 1969.
Miller, J.D., Watson, C.S. and Covell, W.P., “Deafening effects of noise on the cat.” Acta Oto-laryngol. Suppl. 176, pp. 1–91, 1963.
Mundie, J.R., “The impedance of the ear-a variable quantity.” U.S. Army Med. Res. Lab. Report No. 576. pp 63–85, 1963.
Prosen, C.A., Peterson, M.R., Moody, D.B. and Stebbins, W.C., “Auditory thresholds and kanamycininduced hearing loss in the guinea pig assessed by a positive reinforcement procedure.” J. Acoust Soc. Am. 63, pp. 559–566, 1978.
Rabinowitz, W. M., “Measurement of the acoustic input immittance of the human ear.” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 70, pp. 1025–1035, 1981.
Shaw, E.A. “Transformation of sound pressure level from the free field to the eardrum in the horizontal plane.” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 56, pp. 1848–1861, 1974a.
Shaw, E.A.G., “The external ear.” In Handbook of Sensory Physiology, Vol VII: Auditory System. Ed. by W.D. Keidel and W.D. Neff, Springer-Verlag, New York, pp 455–490, 1974b.
Shaw, E.A.G., “Diffuse field sensitivity of external ear based on reciprocity principle.” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 60, S102, 1975.
Shaw, E.A.G., “Performance of the external ear as a sound collector.” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 65, S9, 1979.
Shaw, E.A.G. and Stinson, M.R., “The human external and middle ear: models and concepts.” In Mechanics of Hearing, Ed. by E. de Boer and M. A. Viergever, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Delft University Press, Netherlands, pp. 3–10, 1983.
Sebert, W.M., “Simple model of the impedance matching properties of the external ear.” Quarterly Progress Report No. 96, Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. pp. 236–242, 1970.
Sinyor, A. and Laszlo, C.A., “Acoustic behavior of the outer ear of the guinea pig and the influence of the middle ear.” J. Acoust Soc. Am. 54, pp. 916–921, 1973.
Sivian, L.J. and White, S.D., “On minimum audible fields.” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 4, pp. 288–321, 1933.
Tonndorf, J. and Khanna, S.M., “Mechanics of the auditory system.” In Scientific Foundations of Otolaryngology, Ed. by R. Hinchcliffe and D. Harrison, Yearbook Medical Publishers, Inc. Chicago. pp. 237–252, 1976.
Wiener, F.M., Pfeiffer, R.R. and Backus, A.S.N., “On the sound pressure transformation by the head and auditory meatus of the cat.” Acta Otolaryngol. 61, pp. 255–269, 1965.
Wever, E.G. and Lawrence, M. Physiological Acoustics. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 454 pg., 1954.
Wilson, J.P. and Johnstone, J.R., “Basilar membrane and middle-ear vibration in guinea pig measured by capacitive probe.” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 57, pp. 705–723, 1975.
Zwislocki, J.J., “Analysis of the middle ear function: Part II. Guinea-pig ear.” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 35, pp. 1034–1040, 1963.
Zwislocki, J.J., “The role of the external and middle ear in sound transmission.” In The Nervous System, Vol 3.: Human Communication and its Disorders. Ed. by D.B. Tower, Raven Press, New York, pp 45–55, 1975.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1986 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Rosowski, J.J., Carney, L.H., Lynch, T.J., Peake, W.T. (1986). The Effectiveness of External and Middle Ears in Coupling Acoustic Power into the Cochlea. In: Allen, J.B., Hall, J.L., Hubbard, A.E., Neely, S.T., Tubis, A. (eds) Peripheral Auditory Mechanisms. Lecture Notes in Biomathematics, vol 64. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-50038-1_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-50038-1_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-16095-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-50038-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive