<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2180" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi Jason</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Fascinating stuff, to be sure!  = </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Be careful to understand the stimuli = correctly, though:  Sustained tones (narrow band), vs. clicks (broad = band).  There are no "patterns" in the sustained tone = stimuli.  Rather, the patterning would be in the clicks.  Also, the analog vs. digital = reference isn't quite right.  It's all analog.  The left ear seems to = "respond" preferentially to narrow band (tonal) stimuli, while the right ear seems = to "respond" preferentially to broad band (click) stimuli.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I suspect the two ears are much the = same and that it is efferent activity (from the brain to the inner ear) that is = responsible for the differences.  What the authors are doing is measuring the otoacoustic emission.  They play a sound into the ear and then = "listen" to the response of the ear via a tiny microphone.  Yes, the ear = actually "rings" back when this is done.  It's a bit like the feedback of a = PA system, and there are active elements in the inner ear (outer hair = cells) that seem to be responsible for this feedback.  The activity of these = active elements are apparently modulated by feedback from the brain.  I = would *guess* that the amplitude of the otoacoustic emission has something to = do with the brain's "interest" in the information coming from the ear.  = More to the point, perhaps the brain can fine-tune the response properties of the = ear to refine the information it needs.  Frankly this is all new to me, = and my next email will probably be to a colleague who does research in this area.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So do we listen to our tunings more = with our left ears?  Frankly, if we're listening to (and counting) beats, I = bet we're doing more right-ear work.  In the end, both sides of the = brain are going to get information from both ears, and it's really going to be a whole-brain sort of activity.  This left-brain vs. right-brain = stuph is taken waaaaay to the extreme, IMO.  In reality, both sides of the = brain make their respective contributions, in their respective styles, forming = a seamless, well choreographed synthesis.  It's a bit like a business partnership involving two people of very different = personalities and abilities.  These people would work together, discuss the = workings of the business, and come to mutual decisions.  The company would = function just the same, ideally, no matter which partner you talk to.  = However, you might get a quicker response from one partner than from the = other.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Incidentally, Diane (Hofstetter), taken = at face value, these results would suggest that the left ear is going to be more = prone to damage from narrow-band stimuli.  The question is one of "how much."  I think we can take a clue from the sample size.  = THREE THOUSAND babies were tested, so I suspect the differences were very = small (and almost negligible).  And why did they test babies?  = Simple.  There's too much variability in left ear vs. right ear sensitivity in = adults, so the tiny differences are engulfed in the statistical noise.  Bet ya'!!  ;-)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Peace,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sarah</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>OT PS: I just installed XP's SP2 and = didn't have any trouble.  It was HUUUUUUGE, though.  (I thought I already = had SP2 preinstalled, but in fact it was SP1.)  Hint:  If you do it, = be sure you have a cable connection.  If you don't have one, carry your = computer over to a friend's house and plug in.  If you attempt this upgrade with dial-up, the installation will likely be = bungled.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>OT PPS: Unrelated to the PS, = I've had some problems with my email.  If anyone has had trouble reaching me over = the past couple of days, that might be why.  There are no bounces, BTW!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV>----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=jkanter@rollingball.com = href="mailto:jkanter@rollingball.com">jason kanter</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, September 14, = 2004 3:39 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> research: right vs = left ear</DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><BR></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=190253319-14092004><FONT face=Arial size=2>We = all know about right-handedness and left-handedness, right-eyed and left-eyed = dominance, and the ongoing research about the differences between the functioning of = the left brain vs right brain. Now there is evidence that the left and right = ears are "programmed" differently. <FONT size=3>“We were intrigued to = discover that the clicks triggered more amplification in the baby's right ear, while the = tones induced more amplification in the baby's left ear,” suggesting that = the left ear, being connected to the right brain hemisphere, is better at tones/patterns/waves/analog info while the right ear is designed from = birth to specialize in "clicks",  which are digital/consonants/binary = pulses fed to the left brain. See scientific american:</FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=190253319-14092004><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=190253319-14092004><FONT face=Arial size=2><A = href="http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=0= 000EC2C-11A4-1142-87D683414B7F4945">http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chan= ID=sa003&articleID=0000EC2C-11A4-1142-87D683414B7F4945</A></FONT>= </SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=190253319-14092004><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=190253319-14092004><FONT face=Arial size=2>Do = we listen to our tunings more with our left ears?</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=190253319-14092004><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=190253319-14092004> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>| |   | | |   | = |   | | |   | |   | | |   | |   | = | |   | |   | | |   | |   | | |   | |  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Jason Kanter . piano tuning = regulation repair</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A href="mailto:jkanter@rollingball.com">jkanter@rollingball.com</A> . = cell 425 830 1561</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>serving the eastside and = the san juans</FONT></DIV></SPAN></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>