A frequency-position map for the chinchilla cochlea

Abstract

Frequencies of tones are mapped on to distances along the organ of Corti by associating behaviorally measured threshold shifts with regions of hair-cell loss. The central tendency found for 95 frequency-position matches by 4 observers on 21 ears is approximated by a straight-line, log-linear relation between frequency and position. Only a small portion of the considerable variation of individual matches around this function are explained by length of the organ of Corti. Other unidentified factors appear responsible for most variations.