Audition: Ear and Brain Organization

Kevin McDonald

Prof. Honigfeld

Physiological Psychology

Helen Keller(Fever)

Audition: Ear and Brain in relation to Keller’s loss of hearing

Background:

My case Helen Keller was both deaf and blind and managed to live a productive life and inspire many. Her fever at nineteen months old caused her to lose her hearing and sight. At such a young age Helen was very emotional and difficult to teach. Keller began to progress with her teacher Anne Sullivan and eventually became an inspiration to other sensory impaired individuals. Most people deal with one disability or the other and have the other sense to rely on. In Helens case she had to rely on written language and the sensation of touch to perceive and organize her stimulations.

Method of compensation of loss of hearing:

Keller may have been able to grasp communication methods better due to her experienced mentor and lifelong friend Sullivan. An experienced professional may be capable of assisting the recovery and adaptation of individuals with cochealer implants and/or hearing aids. Both devices provide additional sensations to the brain in forms of electrical impulses and stimulation through very low or minute sounds created by the device.

Structures of the brain that relate to Audition:

Most research done of the auditory cortical system is done in the temporal lobe located on the left side of the patient’s brain. Most studies of the auditory cortical systems are related to study of cats and their central nervous systems and structures of their brain as well as limited research in Primates. Some research is directly related in that of humans but research and experimentation of human brains is often difficult. The differences among other mammalian brains and humans brains is extensive but with most distinctions being additions to the brains cortex from additional motor and sensory operations in the perceptual world. Electrodes are used in many tests of the brain to find and track the stimulations of...