Abstract
Multisensory integration can alter information processing, and previous research has shown that such processes are modulated by sensory switch costs and prior experience (e.g., semantic or letter congruence). Here we report an incidental finding demonstrating, for the first time, the interplay between these processes and experimental factors, specifically the presence (vs. absence) of the experimenter in the testing room. Experiment 1 demonstrates that multisensory motor facilitation in response to audiovisual stimuli (circle and tone with no prior learnt associations) is higher in those trials in which the sensory modality switches than when it repeats. Those participants who completed the study while alone exhibited increased RT variability. Experiment 2 replicated these findings using the letters “b” and “d” presented as unisensory stimuli or congruent and incongruent multisensory stimuli (i.e., grapheme-phoneme pairs). Multisensory enhancements were inflated following a sensory switch; that is, congruent and incongruent multisensory stimuli resulted in significant gains following a sensory switch in the monitored condition. However, when the participants were left alone, multisensory enhancements were only observed for repeating incongruent multisensory stimuli. These incidental findings therefore suggest that the effects of letter congruence and sensory switching on multisensory integration are partly modulated by the presence of an experimenter.
Highlights
IntroductionThe merging of information from different senses (commonly referred to multisensory integration) can alter, and potentially enhance, multisensory information processing
The merging of information from different senses can alter, and potentially enhance, multisensory information processing
reaction times (RTs) for the multisensory stimuli were not affected by switching from VT stimuli (p = 0.40), with only the small increase in RT when switching from an AT stimulus reaching significance (p = 0.009)
Summary
The merging of information from different senses (commonly referred to multisensory integration) can alter, and potentially enhance, multisensory information processing. When signals are presented synchronously in different senses, information processing may be facilitated This includes improvements in response accuracy, learning, memory, and motor performance that have been documented across the lifespan (e.g., Seitz et al, 2006; Shams and Seitz, 2008; Barutchu et al, 2009, 2019a; Flom and Bahrick, 2010; Bremner et al, 2012; Spence, 2013). Several studies suggest that if attention happens to be divided across tasks, multisensory illusions, such as the McGurk effect, may be significantly weakened (Alsius et al, 2005) Another factor that may influence attention and, in turn, multisensory processing that has not been investigated previously (in the latter context) is the presence of an experimenter in the testing room. The presence of an experimenter in the testing room may be expected to draw the participant’s attention away from the target stimuli, and hinder, and possibly alter, task performance as a result (Risko and Kingstone, 2011; Belletier et al, 2015; Belletier and Camos, 2018)
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