Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Perception of Sound Waves01:01

Perception of Sound Waves

The human ear is not equally sensitive to all frequencies in the audible range. It may perceive sound waves with the same pressure but different frequencies as having different loudness. Moreover, the perception of sound waves depends on the health of an individual's ears, which decays with age. The health of one's ears may also be affected by regular exposure to loud noises.
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same frequency...
Auditory Perception01:17

Auditory Perception

The auditory system is essential for sound perception, utilizing various critical structures. When sound waves enter the outer ear, they travel through the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations are then transmitted to the middle ear, where three tiny bones – the malleus, incus, and stapes – amplify the sound. This amplification is crucial, as it ensures that the sound vibrations are strong enough to be conveyed to the inner ear. These vibrations then reach the cochlea, a...
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location01:21

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

The human brain perceives pitch through two primary mechanisms reflected in place theory and frequency theory. Each mechanism describes how sound waves are interpreted as specific pitches by the brain, offering insights into the intricate processes of auditory perception.
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by identifying...
Sound as Pressure Waves01:17

Sound as Pressure Waves

Sound waves, which are longitudinal waves, can be modeled as the displacement amplitude varying as a function of the spatial and temporal coordinates. As a column of the medium is displaced, its successive columns are also displaced. As the successive displacements differ relatively, a pressure difference with the surrounding pressure is created. The gauge pressure varies across the medium.
The pressure fluctuation depends on the difference in displacements between the successive points in the...
Sound Waves: Interference00:53

Sound Waves: Interference

Sound waves can be modeled either as longitudinal waves, wherein the molecules of the medium oscillate around an equilibrium position, or as pressure waves. When two identical waves from the same source superimpose on each other, the combination of two crests or two troughs results in amplitude reinforcement known as constructive interference. If two identical waves, that are initially in phase, become out of phase because of different path lengths, the combination of crests with troughs...
Beats01:09

Beats

The study of music provides many examples of the superposition of waves and the constructive and destructive interference that occurs. Very few examples of music being performed consist of a single source playing a single frequency for an extended period of time. A single frequency of sound for an extended period might be monotonous to the point of irritation, similar to the unwanted drone of an aircraft engine or a loud fan. Music is pleasant and exciting due to mixing the changing frequencies...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A Novel Pilot Program Using Patient Incentives to Address Emergency Department Boarding and Overcrowding: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine·2026
Same author

Ontogenetic thermal and metabolic patterns guide physiologically informed, size-based fishery management.

Conservation physiology·2026
Same author

Exploring the experiences of women of African, Caribbean and Mixed heritages to inform a music-based intervention for perinatal mental health in South East London: A qualitative study.

PLOS mental health·2026
Same author

Differentiating episodic migraine from healthy controls using fractal dimension analysis of MRI cortical morphology.

Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache·2026
Same author

Investigating the dose-response relationship between music and anxiety reduction: A randomized clinical trial.

PLOS mental health·2026
Same author

Community health intervention through musical engagement (CHIME) in South Africa: A formative exploration of the feasibility and development of a music-based intervention to support perinatal mental health.

PLOS global public health·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 10, 2026

fMRI Mapping of Brain Activity Associated with the Vocal Production of Consonant and Dissonant Intervals
11:15

fMRI Mapping of Brain Activity Associated with the Vocal Production of Consonant and Dissonant Intervals

Published on: May 23, 2017

Music perception: sounds lost in space.

Lauren Stewart1, Vincent Walsh

  • 1Department of Psychology, Whitehead Building, Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, London, UK. l.stewart@gold.ac.uk

Current Biology : CB
|October 25, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Musical deficits in amusia may stem from spatial representation issues, challenging the view that amusia is solely auditory. This spatial processing link suggests broader neurological underpinnings for amusia.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Auditory Perception

Background:

  • Amusia, a deficit in music processing, is often considered specific to auditory or musical domains.
  • A recent study controversially links amusia to spatial processing deficits.

Discussion:

  • This research posits that problems in the representation of space could underlie musical impairments observed in amusia.
  • If causal, this finding challenges the established understanding of amusia's specificity.

Key Insights:

  • Spatial representation deficits may be a key factor in amusia.
  • This challenges the prevailing view of amusia being exclusively auditory or musical.

Outlook:

  • Further research is needed to establish a causal link between spatial representation and amusia.

More Related Videos

Uncovering Beat Deafness: Detecting Rhythm Disorders with Synchronized Finger Tapping and Perceptual Timing Tasks
09:04

Uncovering Beat Deafness: Detecting Rhythm Disorders with Synchronized Finger Tapping and Perceptual Timing Tasks

Published on: March 16, 2015

Driving Under the Influence: How Music Listening Affects Driving Behaviors
07:25

Driving Under the Influence: How Music Listening Affects Driving Behaviors

Published on: March 27, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 10, 2026

fMRI Mapping of Brain Activity Associated with the Vocal Production of Consonant and Dissonant Intervals
11:15

fMRI Mapping of Brain Activity Associated with the Vocal Production of Consonant and Dissonant Intervals

Published on: May 23, 2017

Uncovering Beat Deafness: Detecting Rhythm Disorders with Synchronized Finger Tapping and Perceptual Timing Tasks
09:04

Uncovering Beat Deafness: Detecting Rhythm Disorders with Synchronized Finger Tapping and Perceptual Timing Tasks

Published on: March 16, 2015

Driving Under the Influence: How Music Listening Affects Driving Behaviors
07:25

Driving Under the Influence: How Music Listening Affects Driving Behaviors

Published on: March 27, 2019

  • Investigating this connection could reveal novel therapeutic targets for amusia and related cognitive disorders.