James R. Ison
167 Meliora Hall
e-mail: ison@bcs.rochester.edu
275-8461

In general

Textbook:  William A. Yost (1994) Fundamentals of Hearing: An Introduction. San Diego CA: Academic Press.

Assignments: There will be 3 quizzes and one short paper, each having the same weight. The paper should be no more than 5 - 6 pages long (double spaced). The topic should be cleared in advance. You should also prepare for a 10 minute presentation of this same material to the class, at an evening meeting towards the end of the semester.
 

Part 1: Physical principles of acoustics and their relation to hearing

Notes on Sessions 1-4

Week 1: 13 - 15 January

Wed: Introduction to the class
Fri: (Chapters 1 & 2) Concepts of mechanical vibrations and their implications for understanding speech and hearing.

Mon: (Chapter 3) Sound transmission: concepts of pressure and intensity; interference and sound shadows; the important concept of impedance.
Wed: (Chapters 4) Complex stimuli and their analysis; Fourier transforms
Friday: (Chapter 5) Sound analysis: resonators and filters

Mon: Demonstrations of sound stimuli and their sensory consequences.
Wed: Catchup day and Review
Friday: Quiz 1 over Chapters 1 to 5.

Week 4: 1 - 5 February Chapter 6

Mon: The structure of the outer and middle ear
Wed: Resonance and impedance: the audiogram
Fri: "Sound coloring" and its relationship to auditory localization

Mon: Structure of the inner ear
Wed: Mechanical properties of the inner ear
Friday: (Chapter 8) Cochlea potentials

Mon, Wed.: No class [Association for Research in Otolaryngology Meetings]
Fri: (Chapter 8 continued) Stereocilia and hair cells

Mon: Haircells and the auditory nerve
Wed: Peripheral sources of sharp tuning in audition
Fri: (Chapter 9) The neural response in the auditory nerve

Mon: The efferent system at the periphery
Wed: (Chapter 16) The central auditory system
                               Anatomy of the central afferent and efferent auditory pathways
Fri: No class [Spring break]

Mon: Auditory function: the cochlear nuclei and the superior olivary complex
Wed: Auditory function: the inferior colliculus, thalamus, and cortex.
Fri: Quiz 2 on Chapters 6 - 9, 16: The anatomy of the auditory system.

Mon: Traditional types of hearing impairment and their measurement
Wed: Continued
Fri: The treatment of hearing impairment

Week 11: 29 March - 2 April

Mon: (Chapter 10) Auditory sensitivity
Wed: continued
Fri: (Chapter 11) Masking

Mon: Masking [Continued]
Wed: (Chapter 12) Binaural Hearing
Fri: Binaural hearing [Continued]

Mon: (Chapter 13) Loudness and pitch
Wed: Loudness and Pitch [Continued]
Friday: Auditory perception of sound objects

Week 14: 19 - 23 April

Mon: Auditory perception of sound objects [Continued]
Wed: Frequency, temporal modulation, and spatial location
Friday: Speech

Week 15: 26 - 28 April:  Special topics in audition

Mon: Hearing impairment in the aged [Presbycusis]
Wed: Auditory function in learning impaired children [Dyslexia]
Fri: Cognitive function following brain damage [Word deafness and Amusia]

Quiz 3, To be given in the examination period.