The sound stimuli are sounds produced by an impact on the receptor and consequently induces the execution of an activity or an action.
In essence, all sounds are considered sound stimuli, as long as a reaction occurs in response to such prompting.
Sounds are a set of vibratory waves that propagate through a transmission medium, be it air, water or solid bodies.
Each of these media has a different density and sound resistance, so the speed of sound waves and sound quality may vary depending on the propagation medium.
Main features
Sound stimuli are signals perceived by the ear that produce a bodily reaction or the performance of a task as a result.
The reception and processing of sounds in living beings occurs thanks to mechanoreceptor mechanisms, responsible for perceiving sound stimuli and sending messages to the brain very expeditiously.
This phenomenon is called phonoreception.
Phonoreception
Phonoreception consists in the capture of sound waves that travel through the environment, which are perceived as sounds.
Sound stimuli are mechanical stimuli, and the vast majority of living beings can perceive this type of stimulus thanks to the presence of complex auditory systems.
In the case of vertebrate organisms, the ear is the organ in charge of receiving sound vibrations. It all starts with the reception of the waves in the outer ear.
These are then transferred to the middle ear, where they become mechanical waves. Finally, these waves pass to the inner ear, where the phonoreceptor mechanisms are located.
The human ear can detect sound stimuli with frequencies between 16 hertz and 20 kilohertz.
Examples of sound stimuli
In daily life
- Listening to music is a sound stimulus capable of evoking a certain state of mind.
- A detonation or the firing of a firearm can be understood as an indication of near danger. This stimulus leads to an alert state.
- The ringing of a telephone prompts to answer a call.
- The particular sound of a drink or food can stimulate the appetite. For example: the sound that is produced when uncovering a soft drink, or the explosion of popcorn.
In nature
- The sound of the ocean waves can evoke the memory of some past vacations.
- Male cicadas produce a sound stimulus that attracts females when they are in mating season.
- Some invertebrate animals are capable of perceiving low sound frequencies through some skin receptors. These organisms understand these stimuli as alarm signals.
References
- Sound stimulus (sf). Recovered from: sites.google.com
- Fonoreception (2005). Recovered from: elergonomista.com
- Palacios, L., Blasco, J., and Pagés, T. (2005). Animal Physiology: Volume I. University of Barcelona. Department of Physiology. Barcelona, Spain.
- Pérez, J., and Gardey, A. (2008). Definition of Stimulus. Recovered from: definicion.de
- Living beings: the perception of stimuli (nd). Recovered from: beingsvivos.wikidot.com