Abstract
Sensory substitution devices aim at replacing or assisting one or several functions of a deficient sensory modality by means of another sensory modality. Despite the numerous studies and research programs devoted to their development and integration, sensory substitution devices have failed to live up to their goal of allowing one to “see with the skin” (White et al., 1970) or to “see with the brain” (Bach-y-Rita et al., 2003). These somewhat peremptory claims, as well as the research conducted so far, are based on an implicit perceptual paradigm. Such perceptual assumption accepts the equivalence between using a sensory substitution device and perceiving through a particular sensory modality. Our aim is to provide an alternative model, which defines sensory substitution as being closer to culturally implemented cognitive extensions of existing perceptual skills such as reading. In this article, we will show why the analogy with reading provides a better explanation of the actual findings, that is, both of the positive results achieved and of the limitations noticed across the field of research on sensory substitution. The parallel with the most recent two-route and interactive models of reading (e.g., Dehaene et al., 2005) generates a radically new way of approaching these results, by stressing the dependence of integration on the existing perceptual-semantic route. In addition, the present perspective enables us to generate innovative research questions and specific predictions which set the stage for future work.
Highlights
Since the 1960s, a series of devices have been developed to replace or assist one or several functions of a deficient sensory modality by means of another sensory modality
In some cases of sensory substitution or reading, a minimal www.frontiersin.org competence arises without training through the direct association of a certain novel stimulus with a referent given through another modality: as much as children can learn to associate the complex visual form of a certain word with its phonology, and/or its referent – for instance, associate the visual look of the word “car” to the sound and from there to what they know about cars – novice users of auditory-to-visual devices like the vOICe can learn to associate a set of auditory patterns obtained through their headphones to an object recognized by touch
Evidence obtained with sensory substitution devices is here crucial to think about sensory rehabilitation in general (Merabet and Pascual-Leone, 2010, for a review), but the present proposal suggests that it should be studied under the heading of culturally driven plasticity (Ansari, 2012) integrating top-down influences rather than naturally occurring rewiring or crossmodal transfers as the one occurring between tactile and visual shapes for instance or in developmental synesthesia (Ward and Meijer, 2010)
Summary
Since the 1960s, a series of devices have been developed to replace or assist one or several functions of a deficient sensory modality (e.g., vision) by means of another sensory modality (e.g., touch or audition). Robust evidence shows that sensory substitution devices provide their users with new abilities to detect and/or respond to changes in their environments. This repeated, but hardly ever examined equivalence between using a sensory substitution device and perceiving through a canonical sensory modality has turned into the dominant framework in which to interpret the data obtained with those devices. Implications of sensory substitution for understanding brain plasticity (Amedi et al, 2007; Bubic et al, 2010; Ortiz et al, 2011), sensory individuation (Hurley and Noë, 2003; Auvray and Myin, 2009; O’Regan, 2011), or even synesthetic www.frontiersin.org
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 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.
