Psychoacoustics and Brainwave Entrainment Flashcards
7 cards from real Meditation Music practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Psychoacoustics and Brainwave Entrainment flashcards as text
Gamma brainwaves (30–100 Hz) in meditation are most associated with which mental state?
Answer: High-level cognitive processing and peak experience
Gamma waves are linked to heightened perception, binding of sensory information, and peak experiences such as those reported by advanced meditators.
What is 'auditory masking' and how does it affect meditation music design?
Answer: A louder sound reducing the perceived loudness of a quieter nearby frequency
Auditory masking occurs when one sound makes another harder to hear, which composers use strategically to embed subtle frequencies within ambient soundscapes.
The 'cocktail party effect' in psychoacoustics refers to:
Answer: The brain's ability to focus on one audio stream amid competing sounds
The cocktail party effect is the brain's selective auditory attention, allowing a listener to focus on a single voice or sound amid background noise.
In psychoacoustics, what is a 'phantom fundamental'?
Answer: The perception of a bass note that is not physically present but implied by its overtones
The phantom fundamental (missing fundamental) is a low-pitch tone perceived by the brain from the harmonic series even when the actual fundamental frequency is absent.
Which of the following best explains why pink noise is often preferred over white noise for sleep and meditation?
Answer: Pink noise has equal power per octave, closely matching natural soundscapes and EEG patterns
Pink noise has equal energy per octave (1/f distribution), which mirrors natural sounds like rain and has been shown to promote deeper, more restorative sleep.
Which psychoacoustic principle explains why a sustained drone or Om chant promotes meditative calm?
Answer: A constant, predictable stimulus reduces the brain's orienting response and lowers arousal
A sustained, unchanging sound minimizes novelty-driven alerting responses in the brain, reducing cognitive load and facilitating a meditative state.
What is the role of the superior olivary complex in binaural beat perception?
Answer: It is the first brain structure to integrate signals from both ears and detect interaural differences
The superior olivary complex in the brainstem is the earliest site of binaural integration, comparing timing and intensity differences between the two ears to create beat perception.