Abstract
To overcome limitations in perceptual bandwidth, humans condense various features of the environment into summary statistics. Variance constitutes indices that represent diversity within categories and also the reliability of the information regarding that diversity. Studies have shown that humans can efficiently perceive variance for visual stimuli; however, to enhance perception of environments, information about the external world can be obtained from multisensory modalities and integrated. Consequently, this study investigates, through two experiments, whether the precision of variance perception improves when visual information (size) and corresponding auditory information (pitch) are integrated. In Experiment 1, we measured the correspondence between visual size and auditory pitch for each participant by using adjustment measurements. The results showed a linear relationship between size and pitch—that is, the higher the pitch, the smaller the corresponding circle. In Experiment 2, sequences of visual stimuli were presented both with and without linked auditory tones, and the precision of perceived variance in size was measured. We consequently found that synchronized presentation of audio and visual stimuli that have the same variance improves the precision of perceived variance in size when compared with visual-only presentation. This suggests that audiovisual information may be automatically integrated in variance perception.
Highlights
There are many kinds of diversity in the world, such as various types of species, ideas, colors, shapes, textures, and sounds
The regression lines for 20 of the participants were downward and to the right. These results show that crossmodal correspondence between size and pitch exists, as was reported in previous studies (Evans & Treisman, 2010; Gallace & Spence, 2006; Parise & Spence, 2008, 2009)
In Experiment 2, we investigated whether the crossmodal correspondence observed in Experiment 1 has an effect on variance perception
Summary
There are many kinds of diversity in the world, such as various types of species, ideas, colors, shapes, textures, and sounds. When buying packed fruit, one package may contain items that are all approximately the same size, while others may contain items that vary in size In this case, uniform-sized fruit may represent good quality and, the buyer may be more likely to choose the former package. Uniform-sized fruit may represent good quality and, the buyer may be more likely to choose the former package In another example, when a group of people with different opinions regarding a matter arrive at a single conclusion, there may be considerable variations in the people’s facial expressions (i.e., emotions), ranging from being very satisfied to very dissatisfied with the conclusion. It might be necessary to pay additional attention to the opinions of each member
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
