Final answer:
The cochlea is the structure that contains the receptors for sound detection in the human auditory system. It houses the organ of Corti and sensory hair cells necessary for converting mechanical sound waves into electrical signals which are transmitted to the brain. a. the cochlea
Step-by-step explanation:
Structure Containing Receptors for Sound Detection
The structure that contains the receptors for sound detection in the human body is the cochlea. The cochlea is a spiral-shaped, fluid-filled inner ear structure that includes the organ of Corti, where the actual sound transduction takes place. This process involves hair cells being moved by the fluid's wave-like motion, resulting in the transduction of mechanical waves into electrical signals that are then transmitted to the brain via the auditory nerve.
The outer ear, which consists of the pinna and the auditory canal, funnels sound waves towards the tympanic membrane, or eardrum. These waves then travel through the middle ear, where they are amplified by the ossicles, a set of tiny bones called the malleus, incus, and stapes. However, it is the inner ear where sound is converted into neural signals.
Other structures like the ossicles in the middle ear and the stereocilia that are part of the hair cells in the inner ear play vital roles in hearing, but it is specifically the cochlea that houses the sensory receptors crucial for sound detection.