Unisensory temporal performance is predictive of the size of the temporal window of multisensory integration

Leslie Ellen Dowell, Haleh Kadivar, Mark Wallace
Poster
Time: 2009-07-02  09:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Last modified: 2009-06-04

Abstract


A great deal of recent research had focused on the temporal window of multisensory integration, the period of time within which multisensory stimuli are likely to be bound into a unitary construct. In contrast, few studies have attempted to relate features of unisensory temporal performance to measures of multisensory temporal processing. Studies using animal models have shown that the temporal dynamics of neuronal responses to unisensory stimuli are an important determinant of the temporal pattern of multisensory response enhancements and depressions. However, no study has demonstrated a similar relationship at the perceptual level. In the current study we attempted to accomplish this by measuring temporal thresholds on auditory and visual temporal order judgment (TOJ) tasks and relating these thresholds to the temporal window of multisensory integration as defined using two tasks - a multisensory TOJ (mTOJ) task as well as a temporally-dependent multisensory illusion (i.e., flash-beep (FB)). We found that higher visual TOJ thresholds were associated with larger temporal windows in both the multisensory TOJ (r = .663, p<.004) and flash-beep (r = .418, p<.05) tasks. In addition, higher visual TOJ thresholds were associated with increased reports of the flash-beep illusion (r = .466, p<.02). In contrast, auditory TOJ thresholds did not significantly correlate with window size on either multisensory task (mTOJ (r = .397, p = .115); FB (r = .235, p = .292)), or with perceptual reports on the illusory task (r = .159, p = .447). These results illustrate a close relationship between unisensory temporal processing and multisensory temporal processing. Future research will focus on determining the task specificity of these effects, and on better characterizing the temporal dynamics and interrelationships between unisensory and multisensory performance and perception.

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