Probing vision utilization using an audio-visual illusion: Evidence for modulation of visual afferent information processing during goal-directed movements
Luc Tremblay, Thanh Nguyen
Poster
Last modified: 2008-05-13
Abstract
Vision manipulation influences movement endpoint accuracy the most if manipulated early in the movement (e.g., Hansen, Tremblay, & Elliott, 2008). We tested if a visually-guided goal-directed pointing movement influences the magnitude of an audio-visual illusion (e.g., Shams et al., 2000). Participants pointed to a target and reported how many flashes they saw after the movement. The experimental design was: 2 Flash (1, 2) by 2 Beep (1 or 2) by 4 Movement Presentation Time (Start (S), 50 ms after S (S+50), End (E), or 500 ms after E (E+500)). The number of perceived flashes as well as the accuracy and variability of the perceptual judgments were submitted to separate ANOVAs (Post-hoc: Tukey HSD; alpha = .05). All analyses yielded a Flash by Beep interaction, which replicated the illusion (e.g., Shams et al., 2000). Most interestingly, the variability of the perceived flashes analysis also yielded a Presentation Time by Flash interaction (p<.01). Specifically, when one flash was presented, participants were more variable in their judgments early in the movement (S+50) than at the beginning (S) or after the end (E+500) (ps < .05). As such, these results support the idea that afferent visual information processing is modulated during pointing.