The Sense of Hearing is a truly accessible introduction to auditory perception, addressing the fundamental aspects of hearing. Thoroughly revised throughout, this edition reflects recent discoveries in the field, and includes additional coverage of the neural basis of hearing. The book introduces the nature of sound and the spectrum, and the anatomy and physiology of the auditory system, before discussing basic auditory processes including frequency selectivity, loudness and pitch perception, temporal resolution, and sound localization. Subsequent chapters show how complex processes such as perceptual organization, speech perception, and music perception are dependent on the initial analysis that occurs when sounds enter the ear. The book concludes with coverage of how hearing impairment can provide an insight into disorders of the auditory system.
Featuring student-friendly resources including an overview of research techniques, an extensive glossary of technical terms, and over 150 original illustrations, The Sense of Hearing offers a clear introduction and an essential resource for students and educators involved in this challenging field.
Preface
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Why Study Hearing?
1.2 About This Book
2 THE NATURE OF SOUND
2.1 What Is Sound?
2.2 A Tone for Your Sins
2.3 The Spectrum
2.4 Complex Tones and Noise
2.5 Modulated Waveforms
2.6 Summary
2.7 Reading
3 PRODUCTION, PROPAGATION, AND PROCESSING
3.1 Sound Sources and Resonance
3.2 Propagation
3.3 Signal Processing
3.4 Digital Signals
3.5 Summary
3.6 Reading
4 A JOURNEY THROUGH THE AUDITORY SYSTEM
4.1 From Air to Ear
4.2 The Cochlea
4.3 Transduction
4.4 The Auditory Nerve
4.5 From Ear to Brain (and Back)
4.6 Summary
4.7 Reading
5 FREQUENCY SELECTIVITY
5.1 The Importance of Frequency Selectivity
5.2 Frequency Selectivity on the Basilar Membrane
5.3 Neural Frequency Selectivity
5.4 Psychophysical Measurements
5.5 Summary
5.6 Reading
6 LOUDNESS AND INTENSITY CODING
6.1 The Dynamic Range of Hearing
6.2 Loudness
6.3 How Is Sound Intensity Represented in the Auditory Nervous System?
6.4 Comparisons Across Frequency and Across Time
6.5 Summary
6.6 Reading
7 PITCH AND PERIODICITY CODING
7.1 Pitch
7.2 How Is Periodicity Represented?
7.3 How Is Periodicity Extracted?
7.4 Summary
7.5 Reading
8 HEARING OVER TIME
8.1 Temporal Resolution
8.2 The Perception of Modulation
8.3 Combining Information Over Time
8.4 Summary
8.5 Reading
9 SPATIAL HEARING
9.1 Using Two Ears
9.2 Escape from the Cone of Confusion
9.3 Judging Distance
9.4 Reflections and the Perception of Space
9.5 Summary
9.6 Reading
10 THE AUDITORY SCENE
10.1 Principles of Perceptual Organization
10.2 Simultaneous Grouping
10.3 Sequential Grouping
10.4 Summary
10.5 Reading
11 SPEECH
11.1 Speech Production
11.2 Problems with the Speech Signal
11.3 Speech Perception
11.4 Neural Mechanisms
11.5 Summary
11.6 Reading
12 MUSIC
12.1 What Is Music?
12.2 Melody
12.3 Harmony
12.4 Timing
12.5 Musical Scene Analysis
12.6 Culture and Experience
12.7 Why Does Music Exist?
12.8 Summary
12.9 Reading
13 HEARING IMPAIRMENT
13.1 What Is Hearing Impairment?
13.2 Types of Hearing Impairment
13.3 Cochlear Hearing Loss
13.4 Tinnitus and Hyperacusis
13.5 Diagnosis
13.6 Management Options
13.7 Summary
13.8 Reading
14 CONCLUDING REMARKS
14.1 In Praise of Diversity
14.2 What We Know
14.3 What We Don’t Know
Appendix: Researching the Ear
A.1 Human Psychoacoustics
A.2 Signal Detection Theory
A.3 Human Electrophysiology
A.4 Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
A.5 Animal Physiology
A.6 Animal Psychoacoustics
A.7 Ethical Issues
Biography
Christopher J. Plack is Ellis Llwyd Jones Professor of Audiology at the University of Manchester and Professor of Auditory Neuroscience at Lancaster University.
"I am delighted to recommend the third edition of The Sense of Hearing. The third edition is fully up to date and provides a very clear and accurate introduction to auditory perception and its neural basis, including disorders of hearing. The book is written in a highly accessible way and will be suitable for undergraduate and masters level courses in psychology, audiology, music, audio engineering, and audio design." - Brian C.J. Moore, Cambridge University, UK
"Every course on auditory psychophysics needs a book that summarizes the history of the field and highlights new and exciting finding in existing literature in a manner that can be digested by students. Chris Plack’s new book offers the perfect combination of experimental outcomes and models with outstanding diagrams." - Ruth Litovsky, University of Wisconsin – Madison, USA
"Written in an approachable and comfortable style, The Sense of Hearing is fully recommended to any student interested in hearing science. It is an engaging introduction to all the key topics, from the classic experiments that underpin current knowledge to the potential research questions of the future." - Michael Akeroyd, University of Nottingham, UK
"This book is a must-have for students of auditory perception, and hearing sciences more generally. Even the more complicated topics are presented in an approachable and systematic way that makes it suitable both for classroom teaching and for self-study. I would highly recommend it for courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level." - Andrew Oxenham, University of Minnesota, USA
