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

Lateralization01:28

Lateralization

Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.
Auditory Pathway01:15

Auditory Pathway

Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...
Hearing01:31

Hearing

When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.
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...
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...
The Cochlea01:13

The Cochlea

The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

An investigation of the sound of foam and its potential influence on the shampoo experience.

International journal of cosmetic science·2026
Same author

Iambic-Trochaic grouping in native listeners of Papuan Malay, Akan, and German.

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America·2025
Same author

Rhythm Perception in Speakers of Arabic, German and Hebrew.

Journal of psycholinguistic research·2025
Same author

Crossmodal Interactions Between Olfaction and Touch Affecting Well-Being and Perception of Cosmetic Creams.

Frontiers in psychology·2021
Same author

Prenatal Exposure to Tobacco and Alcohol Alters Development of the Neonatal Auditory System.

Developmental neuroscience·2021
Same author

Processing of Rhythm in Speech and Music in Adult Dyslexia.

Brain sciences·2020
Same journal

Profiles of power: lateral posing asymmetries of emotional expression in political portraits.

Laterality·2026
Same journal

Do emotional faces modulate pupillary pseudoneglect?

Laterality·2026
Same journal

Breaking the binary: Mixed-handedness and its implications for theoretical and clinical laterality research.

Laterality·2026
Same journal

Laterality of rodent behaviour: Why it matters for basic and clinical neuroscience and an outline for reverse-translational laterality research.

Laterality·2026
Same journal

Is there handedness for tactile acuity? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Laterality·2026
Same journal

Development of the left-handedness stigmatization scale for the Middle East and North Africa region (LHSS-MENA): expert validity ratio, exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analyses.

Laterality·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2026

A Method to Study Adaptation to Left-Right Reversed Audition
07:14

A Method to Study Adaptation to Left-Right Reversed Audition

Published on: October 29, 2018

Laterality of basic auditory perception.

Yvonne S Sininger1, Anjali Bhatara

  • 1Division of Head & Neck Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1624, USA. ysininger@mednet.ucla.edu

Laterality
|March 6, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study found a left ear advantage (LEA) for processing tonal sounds, but not for noise. This suggests specialized auditory processing pathways in the brain for different sound types.

More Related Videos

Slicing the Embryonic Chicken Auditory Brainstem to Evaluate Tonotopic Gradients and Microcircuits
08:24

Slicing the Embryonic Chicken Auditory Brainstem to Evaluate Tonotopic Gradients and Microcircuits

Published on: July 12, 2022

An Automated System for Sound Localization Testing in Hearing-Impaired Listeners
07:52

An Automated System for Sound Localization Testing in Hearing-Impaired Listeners

Published on: March 13, 2026

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 24, 2026

A Method to Study Adaptation to Left-Right Reversed Audition
07:14

A Method to Study Adaptation to Left-Right Reversed Audition

Published on: October 29, 2018

Slicing the Embryonic Chicken Auditory Brainstem to Evaluate Tonotopic Gradients and Microcircuits
08:24

Slicing the Embryonic Chicken Auditory Brainstem to Evaluate Tonotopic Gradients and Microcircuits

Published on: July 12, 2022

An Automated System for Sound Localization Testing in Hearing-Impaired Listeners
07:52

An Automated System for Sound Localization Testing in Hearing-Impaired Listeners

Published on: March 13, 2026

Area of Science:

  • Auditory Neuroscience
  • Psychoacoustics
  • Human Auditory Perception

Background:

  • Auditory processing exhibits laterality, with potential differences between the left and right ears.
  • Previous research suggests specialized roles for each ear in processing different sound characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate ear advantages in auditory processing using basic auditory skills.
  • To determine if tonal stimuli are better processed by the left ear (LE) and noise stimuli by the right ear (RE).
  • To explore the influence of spectral width and stimulus duration on auditory laterality.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed basic auditory skills: gap detection, frequency discrimination, and intensity discrimination.
  • Used tonal stimuli (500, 1000, 4000 Hz) and wide-band noise, presented monaurally to each ear.
  • Evaluated narrow-band noise (NBN) and varying tone durations (200-1000 ms) to test limits of laterality.

Main Results:

  • A significant left ear advantage (LEA) was observed for tonal stimuli across all experiments.
  • No right ear advantage (REA) was found for noise stimuli, including wide-band and narrow-band noise.
  • Auditory laterality for tonal stimuli was not affected by changes in stimulus duration.

Conclusions:

  • A consistent LEA exists for processing tonal auditory stimuli, likely due to direct left ear connections to the right auditory cortex.
  • The absence of a REA for noise processing remains unexplained.
  • Sex differences in noise laterality were observed but not statistically significant, warranting further investigation.