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Distinguishing the Direction of Sounds

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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science
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Synonyms

Sound generation; Soundwaves direction; Transmission of sound

Definition

The way the sound is directed.

Introduction

To better comprehend the direction of sound, we must consider how sound is directed. When sound is traveling through the air it eventually reaches the ear; there is where all the processing begins. The acoustic information – distinguished in intensity (loudness) and frequency (pitch) – travels from the outer ear to the structures of the inner ear through the structures of the middle ear. A process known as binaural hearing helps to clarify sounds in noisy environments.

The Direction of Sound

Sound is generated when an object vibrates and creates soundwaves traveling through the air as a pattern of pressure changes heard as sound (Moore 2001). Air is one medium for the traveling sound to be heard. According to the pressure of the environmental medium (called impedance), the associated pressure will be needed for the soundwave to travel (see Pickles 2012, pp....

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References

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Khalil, M. (2018). Distinguishing the Direction of Sounds. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_983-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_983-1

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