TY - JOUR

T1 - Effects of spatial and selective attention on basic multisensory integration

AU - Gondan, Matthias

AU - Blurton, Steven Paul

AU - Hughes, F.

AU - Greenlee, M.W.

PY - 2011/12

Y1 - 2011/12

N2 - When participants respond to auditory and visual stimuli, responses to audiovisual stimuli are substantially faster than to unimodal stimuli (redundant signals effect, RSE). In such tasks, the RSE is usually higher than probability summation predicts, suggestive of specific integration mechanisms underlying the RSE. We investigated the role of spatial and selective attention on the RSE in audiovisual redundant signals tasks. In Experiment 1, stimuli were presented either centrally (narrow attentional focus) or at 1 of 3 unpredictable locations (wide focus). The RSE was accurately described by a coactivation model assuming linear superposition of modality-specific activation. Effects of spatial attention were explained by a shift of the evidence criterion. In Experiment 2, stimuli were presented at 3 locations; participants had to respond either to all signals regardless of location (simple response task) or to central stimuli only (selective attention task). The RSE was consistent with task-specific coactivation models; accumulation of evidence, however, differed between the 2 tasks.

AB - When participants respond to auditory and visual stimuli, responses to audiovisual stimuli are substantially faster than to unimodal stimuli (redundant signals effect, RSE). In such tasks, the RSE is usually higher than probability summation predicts, suggestive of specific integration mechanisms underlying the RSE. We investigated the role of spatial and selective attention on the RSE in audiovisual redundant signals tasks. In Experiment 1, stimuli were presented either centrally (narrow attentional focus) or at 1 of 3 unpredictable locations (wide focus). The RSE was accurately described by a coactivation model assuming linear superposition of modality-specific activation. Effects of spatial attention were explained by a shift of the evidence criterion. In Experiment 2, stimuli were presented at 3 locations; participants had to respond either to all signals regardless of location (simple response task) or to central stimuli only (selective attention task). The RSE was consistent with task-specific coactivation models; accumulation of evidence, however, differed between the 2 tasks.

KW - Acoustic Stimulation

KW - Attention

KW - Auditory Perception

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Models, Psychological

KW - Photic Stimulation

KW - Reaction Time

KW - Space Perception

KW - Young Adult

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=83055176939&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1037/a0025635

DO - 10.1037/a0025635

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 21967270

VL - 37

SP - 1887

EP - 1897

JO - Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance

JF - Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance

SN - 0096-1523

IS - 6

ER -