Sound enhances visual perception: Cross-modal effects of auditory organization on vision

Author(s): deGelder, B.

Journal/Book: J Exp Psychol Hum Percep Perf. 2000; 26: 750 First St NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242, USA. Amer Psychological Assoc. 1583-1590.

Abstract: Six experiments demonstrated cross-modal influences from the auditory modality on the visual modality at an early level of perceptual organization. Participants had to detect a visual target in a rapidly changing sequence of visual distracters. A high tone embedded in a sequence of low tones improved detection of a synchronously presented visual target (Experiment 1), but the effect disappeared when the high tone was presented before the target (Experiment 2). Rhythmically based or order-based anticipation was unlikely to account for the effect because the improvement was unaffected by whether there was jitter (Experiment 3) or a random number of distracters between successive targets (Experiment 4). The facilitatory effect was greatly reduced when the tone was less abrupt and part of a melody (Experiments 5 and 6). These results show that perceptual organization in the auditory modality can have an effect on perceptibility in the visual modality.

Note: Article Vroomen J, Tilburg Univ, Dept Psychol, Warandelaan 2, POB 90153, NL-5000 LE Tilburg, NETHERLANDS

Keyword(s): SUPERIOR COLLICULUS; INTEGRATION; HEARING; VOICE; FACE

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