Abstract
Hearing is confronted by a similar problem to vision when the observer moves. The image motion that is created remains ambiguous until the observer knows the velocity of eye and/or head. One way the visual system solves this problem is to use motor commands, proprioception, and vestibular information. These “extraretinal signals” compensate for self-movement, converting image motion into head-centered coordinates, although not always perfectly. We investigated whether the auditory system also transforms coordinates by examining the degree of compensation for head rotation when judging a moving sound. Real-time recordings of head motion were used to change the “movement gain” relating head movement to source movement across a loudspeaker array. We then determined psychophysically the gain that corresponded to a perceptually stationary source. Experiment 1 showed that the gain was small and positive for a wide range of trained head speeds. Hence, listeners perceived a stationary source as moving slightly opposite to the head rotation, in much the same way that observers see stationary visual objects move against a smooth pursuit eye movement. Experiment 2 showed the degree of compensation remained the same for sounds presented at different azimuths, although the precision of performance declined when the sound was eccentric. We discuss two possible explanations for incomplete compensation, one based on differences in the accuracy of signals encoding image motion and self-movement and one concerning statistical optimization that sacrifices accuracy for precision. We then consider the degree to which such explanations can be applied to auditory motion perception in moving listeners.
Highlights
Hearing is confronted by a similar problem to vision when the observer moves
We found a consistent if small perceptual error: Listeners hear a stationary sound as moving slightly opposite to the direction of an ongoing head rotation, and this persists across a wide range of head speeds and azimuthal locations
The perceptual error is the auditory equivalent of the Filehne illusion, a motion phenomenon associated with the apparent movement of stationary visual objects during smooth pursuit eye movement (Freeman, 2001; Freeman & Banks, 1998; Mack & Herman, 1973, 1978; Wertheim, 1994)
Summary
Hearing is confronted by a similar problem to vision when the observer moves. The image motion that is created remains ambiguous until the observer knows the velocity of eye and/or head. One way the visual system solves this problem is to use motor commands, proprioception, and vestibular information These “extraretinal signals” compensate for self-movement, converting image motion into head-centered coordinates, not always perfectly. Hearing and vision are confronted by a similar problem when the perceiver moves: Actions like rotating the head cause the sensory apparatus to shift with respect to the scene In vision, this creates movement in the image on the retina. FREEMAN, CULLING, AKEROYD, AND BRIMIJOIN and head velocity (Angelaki & Hess, 2005; Crowell, Banks, Shenoy, & Andersen, 1998; Freeman, Champion, & Warren, 2010; Furman & Gur, 2012; von Holst, 1954) These are known collectively as “extraretinal signals” because their origin is from a source other than the retina; they serve as a reference for the image motion created by self-movement. We asked whether the auditory system uses “extracochlear signals” when interpreting acoustic image motion, in keeping with the definition and use of “extraretinal” signals known to accompany smooth pursuit eye movements in vision
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More From: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance
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