The Complex Process of Hearing by Eric Forbes

     To grasp how hearing works we must first start by understanding the make up of the ear.  The ear is made up of three main parts: 1) the outer ear, the ear canal; 2) second, the middle ear, the ear drum and the three small bones that make up the ossicular chain (the malleus, incus, and stapes); and 3) finally the inner ear, the cochlea and the auditory nerve (the cochlea is snail shell looking in shape, a coil like organ). These three parts make up one of the most important and delicate senses that we have (Hearing Link, n.d.). 

     Hearing is a complex process. We pick it up as a chain of vibrations in our ear, and this tiny action moves the three tiny bones within our ear. As the sounds travel back into the inner part of our ear, the vibrations pass through the cochlea. Located within the cochlea, there are tiny hair cells surrounded by fluid. As the vibrations move, the fluid moves and creates a response that will trigger your auditory nerve. Specific parts of the cochlea interpret different types of frequencies. The narrow end of the organ responds to low frequencies and the wider portion interprets higher frequencies. The nerve than transmits that signal to the brain, which in turn lets us hear whatever sound was being made (Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center, n.d.).

     Hearing is a huge part of our daily lives but unfortunately hearing can be damaged. According to the Mayo Clinic Staff (2015), there are three major ways that hearing can be damaged or lost. They are damage to the ear (old age, loud noise exposure, sudden changes in pressure, poking eardrum, etc.), a gradual buildup of earwax (buildup can cause sound waves to be muffled), and finally ear infections and abnormal bone growths or tumors.

References

Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center (n.d.) Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. How Hearing Works. Retrieved March 12, 2017. http://www.agbell.org/learn/hearing-loss-explained/how-hearing-works.aspx

Hearing Link (n.d.). How the Ear Works. Retrieved March 12, 2017. https://www.hearinglink.org/your-hearing/how-the-ear-works/

Mayo Clinic Staff (2015). Diseases and Conditions Hearing Loss. Retrieved March 12, 2017.  http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/basics/causes/con-20027684