Final answer:
Auditory nerves exhibit phase locking when they fire action potentials synchronously with the peaks of sound waves, which is involved in the temporal theory of pitch perception. This mechanism, along with the place code, contributes to how we perceive the pitch of a sound.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phenomenon where auditory nerves fire synchronously with the peaks in a sound wave is known as phase locking. This is distinct from the place code, which is another mechanism for encoding the frequency of a sound, particularly at higher frequencies where phase locking does not occur due to neuronal firing rate limitations. Pitch perception in humans relies on a combination of these and other mechanisms as sounds travel through the auditory system.
Our ability to perceive pitch comes from the auditory pathway processing sound frequencies and localizing sound sources. This involves the hair cells in the cochlea converting mechanical energy from sound waves into neural signals. These signals are then interpreted in various brain regions including the auditory cortex. While the temporal theory of pitch perception suggests that firing rates of these neurons relate to the frequency of the sound, higher frequencies exceed the firing rate capabilities of neurons, and that's where the place code comes into play in pitch perception.