Models of External- and Middle-Ear Function

The primary function of the external and middle ear is to gather sound energy and conduct it to the inner ear. How this goal is achieved depends almost entirely on the passive acoustical and mechanical properties of the ear’s most peripheral structures (Fletcher 1992; Rosowski 1994). (There are active components within the middle ear, i.e., the middle-ear muscles, but these structures principally work by modulating the passive properties of the middle ear [Moller 1983; Pang and Peake 1985, 1986].) Comprehension of the function of each of the ear’s peripheral components necessitates a physical description of the relevant acoustical and mechanical properties of the components as well as quantitative schemata for how the components interact. Such schemata serve two purposes: (1) they crystallize our understanding of how the structures work and provide testable hypotheses for further refinements, and (2) they supply approximations of external- and middle-ear function which can act as prefilters in studies of the inner ear and central auditory nervous system.