What Is Place Theory And Frequency Theory?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Place theory states that

the perception of pitch depends on what area of the basilar membrane is vibrating

. Frequency theory claims that the perception of pitch depends on the rate at which the entire basilar membrane vibrates. The whole basilar membrane vibrates in response to sound.

What is frequency theory?

a

late 19th-century theory specifying that pitch is coded by the rate at which action potentials are generated by auditory neurons within the basilar membrane of the ear

.

What is the place theory in psychology?

the theory that

(a) sounds of different frequencies stimulate different places along the basilar membrane

and (b) pitch is coded by the place of maximal stimulation.

What does place theory best explain?

The place theory of hearing is used to explain

how we distinguish high-pitched sounds that possess a frequency that exceeds 5,000 hertz

. … The brain detects the pitch based on the position of the hair cells that transmitted the neural signal.

What is place coding theory?

The place code theory is given that name because

it identifies each pitch with a particular place along the basilar membrane

. … A low frequency tone causes slow waves of motion in the basilar membrane and that might give rise to low firing rates in the auditory nerve.

Why is the frequency theory important?

According to the frequency theory of hearing,

the frequency of the auditory nerve’s impulses corresponds to the frequency of a tone

, which allows us to detect its pitch. Sounds come into the ear as acoustical signals and are later transformed into nerve impulses by the cochlea.

Who develops frequency theory?

A theory of pitch perception first proposed in 1886 by

the British physiologist William Rutherford

(1839–99) according to which the ear converts acoustic vibrations into nerve impulses by emitting one impulse for each cycle of the sound wave in the manner of a telephone.

What is an example of place theory in psychology?

Place theory is a term that refers

to how sound is received and perceived by the human ear

. … A similar effect can be seen by hitting a tamborine in different spots; hitting near the side gives a flatter sound that hitting it in the center.

What is the problem with place theory?

The biggest problem of the place theory is that

it fails to identify the pitch of a stimulus with missing fundamental

. According to Helmholtz’s theory, it is impossible to perceive a pitch when there is no spectral peak at the position along the basilar membrane which corresponds to the frequency of the pitch.

How do place and frequency theory work together?

The place theory of pitch perception suggests that

different portions of the basilar membrane are sensitive to sounds of different frequencies

. More specifically, the base of the basilar membrane responds best to high frequencies and the tip of the basilar membrane responds best to low frequencies.

What is the difference between place theory and frequency theory of hearing?

Place theory states that

the perception of pitch is associated with vibration of different portions of the basilar membrane

, while the frequency theory states the perception of pitch is associated with the frequency at which the entire basilar membrane vibrates, 20.

What are the two theories of pitch perception?

Two theories explain how people distinguish the pitch of different sounds:

place theory and frequency theory

.

What is the frequency volley theory?

the principle that

individual fibers in an auditory nerve respond to one or another stimulus in a rapid succession of rhythmic sound stimuli

, whereas other fibers in the nerve respond to the second, third, or nth stimulus.

What is traveling wave theory?

The traveling-wave theory of cochlear mechanics states that

the fundamental cochlear response to acoustic stimuli consists of a displacement wave which propagates along the basilar membrane from base to apex

[see reviews in ref. 1, 2].

What is temporal coding?


a type of neural plotting of the precise timing of the points of maximum intensity (spikes) between action potentials

. It can provide valuable additional detail to information obtained through simple rate coding.

What is volley effect?

Volley theory states that

groups of neurons of the auditory system respond to a sound by firing action potentials slightly out of phase with one another

so that when combined, a greater frequency of sound can be encoded and sent to the brain to be analyzed.

Emily Lee
Author
Emily Lee
Emily Lee is a freelance writer and artist based in New York City. She’s an accomplished writer with a deep passion for the arts, and brings a unique perspective to the world of entertainment. Emily has written about art, entertainment, and pop culture.