Afferent-efferent neurological system Refers to the neural pathways that carry auditory information from the ear (periphery) to the brain (afferent) and from the brain back to the periphery (efferent). Allows auditory adaptation and selective listening ability in human hearing.

Apraxia A condition involving difficulty in using a part or parts of the body resulting from damage to one or both hemispheres of the brain.

Attitudinal phonemic malingering Type of so-called "malingering" where attitude, mood, and circumstances cause one to have temporary difficulty in speech understanding out of proportion to the degree or type of hearing loss.

Auditory adaptation The ability of the human auditory system to adapt to changing acoustic environments without a precise correlative response, e.g. adapting to noise, then to quiet, etc.

Central auditory processing The processing of acoustic signals received by way of the peripheral hearing system in the central nervous system and the brain.

Comparative speech discrimination tests Refers to the process of comparing speech discrimination scores of the two ears to detect significant discrimination abnormalities relative to the type and degree of hearing loss, the evidence of which may indicate central auditory lessons.

Critical bandwidth distortion Refers to the loss of ability to distinguish either the center frequency of a critical bandwidth or an entire critical bandwidth from another in the human auditory system. Generally associated with presbycusis, but also many other degenerative conditions.

Defensive posturing The attitudinal process through which a hearing impaired person intuitively responds to their psychosocial environment.

Difference Limens (DLs) Refers to the just noticable difference (ind) that is perceived by the subject in distinguishing intensity or frequency changes. Measured in dB or Hz.

Diplacusis A phenomena caused by critical bandwidth distortions where a given stimulus is heard differently in one ear from the other. Binaural diplacusis referes to bilaterally distorted signal reception.

Epithelial atrophy The degerative chances of the cellular tissues within the cochlea, starting at the base and progressing to the apex. May apply to other parts of the body, also. Associated with presbycusis, diabetes, and other degerative conditions.

Fourier analysis A method of analyzing complex tones into the corresponding subcomponents of pure-tones, named after French physicist Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier. Specifically applies to acoustic measurement calculations and its use in electroacoustic analysis equipment.

Habilitation Education and counseling activities of the congenitally hearing impaired person, including applicable compensatory methods, amplification, and therapy.

Hemiplegia A condition associated with (ipsalateral) hemispheric paralysis or lesion. Victim is known as hemiplegic.

Horizontal sensitivity The author's reference to critical bandwidth sensitivity relative to the horizontal (frequency) characteristics of the audiogram.

Hyper-rationalization An obsessive defense mechanism developed by the hearing impaired person to justify their every word and action in social relationships.

Lowered self-esteem Refers to the psychosocial condition of self depreciation that is experienced by the hearing impaired individual as a result of their hearing loss.

Nuances of speech The subtle, underlying stresses on speech that are more readily perceived by the subconscious or aesthetic hemisphere (usually the right side) of the brain. Sometimes referred to as non-verbal messages in speech.

Ototoxicity Damage or deterioration of the hearing system resulting from toxic reaction to medication or other substances.

Peripheral A broad term that applies to any related aspect away from the center of a given entity. In human hearing applies to the outer, middle and inner ear mechanisms.

Play audiometry Specially devised audiological techniques for the testing of very young children.

Psuedohypacisis Clinical term for feigned hearing loss.

Psychoacoustics The study of psychological perceptions and accoustics as it pertains to human hearing.

Psychogenic interpretation A purely psychological perception of a given sound stimulus. Often applies to the three levels of hearing (Ramsdell): symbolic, signal, and primitive perception levels.

Psychophysical considerations Considerations attributable to the physical characteristics of the human hearing system as they are perceived psychologically; i.e., the psychological effects of coupling hearing instrumentation to the ear.

Rehabilitation The education and counseling activities of those with acquired hearing loss, including applicable compensatory methods, amplification, and therapy.

Residual Inhibition The cessation or lessening of tinnitus after a stimulus such as masking of amplified signals is stopped. Usually is referred to in terms of level of decrease over an associated time period after the stimulus.

Site of lesion The precise location of a breakdown in the impaired human auditory system, i.e., the various parts of the ear in which a lesion exists.

Social paranoia A hearing impaired person's attitudes, actions, and emotional responses relative to suspicion, distrust, or paranoia which is caused or influenced by the state of hearing impairment.

Suprathreshold sensitivity The sensation levels, or an individual's difference limens, above threshold of the human auditory system, especially at the point immediately above threshold.

Temporal Summation or integration The comparison of time thresholds and audibility sensation variations of the human hearing system, a part of the study of psychoacoustics.

Timbre Tonal characteristics of a given fundamental derived by its harmonics and overtones.

Transparent hearing A term coined by several audiological researchers to describe the ideal state of applied amplification to the human auditory system. Represents the sensation of high fidelity or natural hearing.

Tympanosclerosis The degeneration of connective tissue of the tympanic membrane, appearing as chalky plaques of calcification in otoscoptic examinations.

Vertical sensitivity The author's reference to the psychoacoustical perception of intensity as it relates to the vertical (decibel) characteristics of the audiogram.

Visual evoked response Visually detected body responses of the subject picked up by the evaluator during a hearing evaluation; i.e. subconscious eye or hand movements when a test stimulus is given.