Abstract
In considering capacity measures of audiovisual integration, it has become apparent that there is a wide degree of variation both within (based on unimodal and multimodal stimulus characteristics) and between participants. Recent work has discussed performance on a number of cognitive tasks that can form a regression model accounting for nearly a quarter of the variation in audiovisual integration capacity. The current study involves an investigation of whether different elements of musicality in participants can contribute to additional variation in capacity. Participants were presented with a series of rapidly changing visual displays and asked to note which elements of that display changed in synchrony with a tone. Results were fitted to a previously used model to establish capacity estimates, and these estimates were included in correlational analyses with musical training, musical perceptual abilities, and active engagement in music. We found that audiovisual integration capacity was positively correlated with amount of musical training, and that this correlation was statistically significant under the most difficult perceptual conditions. Results are discussed in the context of the boosting of perceptual abilities due to musical training, even under conditions that have been previously found to be overly demanding for participants.
Highlights
The capacity limits of various perceptual and cognitive processes have been, and continue to be, important topics of study in psychological research
The purpose of this study was to determine whether the modulation of visual perception through audiovisual integration would be further augmented by musical training
Our initial finding confirmed what we have found previously—that audiovisual integration capacity is flexible and increases as a function of slower rates of presentation
Summary
The capacity limits of various perceptual and cognitive processes have been, and continue to be, important topics of study in psychological research. From the classic work of Miller [1] who established the “magic number” seven for the capacity of working memory, to Cowan’s work [2]. On visual working memory capacity, quantifying these capacities is paramount in establishing the capabilities and limitations of the human brain. While Miller’s and Cowan’s work was unimodal in nature, more recent research has focused on how presentation of stimuli in multiple modalities can influence perception of individual stimuli. This includes numerous combinations of modalities, including the integration of auditory and visual information. The demonstration of stimuli in one modality promoting better perception in a different modality led to a burgeoning field of research, much of which will be discussed within this special issue of Vision
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