The dual role of the non-target in visual-auditory saccadic integration
Anja Kraft, Martina Kroeger, Rike Steenken, Hans Colonius, Adele Diederich
Poster
Last modified: 2008-05-13
Abstract
In a focused attention (FA) paradigm, saccadic reaction time (SRT) to a visual target is reduced when an acoustical non-target is presented in close spatial or temporal proximity. Beyond such a window of integration, an acoustical stimulus does not affect SRT in a spatially specific way, but it may have a (temporally specific) warning effect (Diederich & Colonius, 2008, ExpBrRes). The purpose of the present study is to dissociate the non-target’s warning effect from its spatial effect, and to investigate the time course of both characteristics. In the experiment, the task of the participant was to gaze as fast and as accurately as possible to a visual target and to ignore an auditory non-target (white noise burst) presented at various stimulus-onset asynchrony values. In the spatially specific condition, the auditory non-target appeared either at the same position or at a position vertically opposite to the target. In the spatially non-specific condition, the non-target was presented from both positions simultaneously such that no positional information was available. To prevent discriminating between the two conditions via loudness differences, the intensity level of the non-targets were slightly roved in intensity.