What is auditory perception?
The term auditory perception describes the perception of sound – i.e. tones, sounds and noises. Sound is conveyed in the form of vibrations by the surrounding media (air or water), but also by vibrations of the underground. The auditory system is capable of perceiving up to 20 signals per second as individual tones. If the number is larger, the tones blur into one another and are then heard as a single tone and at the lowest frequency that occurs in it.
How does auditory perception work?
Sound is first picked up by the outer ear. The sound is picked up by the pinna, directed into the external auditory canal, and then causes the eardrum to vibrate. Through the grip of the first ossicle, the hammer, fixed to the eardrum, the vibrations are transmitted through the entire ossicular chain (hammer, anvil, stirrup) in the middle ear to the oval window at the junction with the fluid-filled inner ear. The sound waves are transmitted in the fluid as traveling waves, which are registered by the hairs of the sensory cells and converted into nerve impulses. These electrical impulses are transmitted to the brain via the auditory nerve.
Auditory perception in the brain
In order to recognize and distinguish spoken language and certain sounds, certain sound characteristics must be detected in the auditory pathway with the ascending neural pathways: Beginning and end of a sound stimulus, changes in frequency, and more.
Without the auditory system, language cannot be learned independently, and communication is then more difficult. For this reason, children with impaired auditory perception must be given appropriate therapy at an early stage.
Problems with auditory perception
An auditory processing and perception disorder (auditory or acoustic agnosia or auditory deafness) is present when the auditory organ in the ear functions normally, but central hearing and auditory comprehension are impaired. Affected individuals lack the ability to distinguish sounds, recognize and understand acoustic signals. The localization of sound sources is also disturbed. People with an auditory perception disorder have difficulty learning language correctly.
Auditory perception is also impaired in hearing loss and deafness.
