Re: Does the size &/or shape of your ear effect the way or how well you hear?

Hello, and thank you for asking your question to MadSci Network!  
Your question is actually two questions: 1.) Does the size and shape of your ear 
affect the way you hear?; and 2.) Does the size and shape of your ear affect how 
well you hear?  Let me answer each question separately for you...

1.) Does the size and shape of your ear affect the way you hear (the process of 
hearing)?  No, your outer ear, the part you see, is not related to how well you 
hear.  Sound comes into the "hole" in the side of your head, and then the sound 
vibrates your eardrum, which is a part you can't see. From there, the sound 
vibrations go deeper into your ear, and you can't see it, but there are little 
bones that vibrate, and then a little "snail-shaped" organ (called the 
"cochlea") has hairs in it that pick up vibrations (like pressing different keys 
on a piano).  These hair cells then tell your hearing nerves (auditory nerves, 
one for each ear) what the tones are that you hear, and then the auditory nerves 
take the information to your brain, and your brain recognizes what you hear.  
Most people have hearing problems related to the cochlea, or to the little 
middle ear bones, or to the auditory nerve. 

2.) Does the size and shape of your ear affect how well you hear (the sounds you 
hear)?  Yes.  The "outer ear" that you can see is for the purpose of directing 
sound to the hole on the side of your head. Put your hand behind your ear, and 
move your ear more forward, and you can hear sounds better from in front of you, 
and if you do this when a person is talking to you, their voice will sound 
louder. Look at a dog or a cat -- they can move their outer ears to catch sounds 
from different directions, so they can get really good sounds from different 
directions.  Humans can't do that.  Humans normally get sounds from mostly the 
sides, and the little "curves" in your outer ear get sounds from the front.  
We're not really good at getting sounds from behind us, unless we turn around.  
People who have ears that "stick out" more forward from the sides of their head 
will have better sound from the front.  Think about the outer ear like it is a 
"sound funnel" that directs sound into the ear canal (the little hole on the 
side of your head).