Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 16, 2025

A Two-interval Forced-choice Task for Multisensory Comparisons
07:13

A Two-interval Forced-choice Task for Multisensory Comparisons

Published on: November 9, 2018

11.3K

Simultaneity constancy.

Agnieszka Kopinska1, Laurence R Harris

  • 1Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada. kopinska@yorku.ca

Perception
|November 25, 2004
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Differences in perceived travel distance from central versus peripheral optic flow are the same when standing and walking.

PloS one·2026
Same author

How the characteristics of a virtual environment affects the perception of travel distance through it.

PloS one·2026
Same author

Feasibility and impact of virtual reality exposure therapy on epilepsy-specific anxiety: Phase 3 of the AnxEpiVR pilot clinical trial.

Epilepsy & behavior reports·2026
Same author

Failure to replicate the Aubert-Fleischl effect.

PloS one·2025
Same author

Audio-Visual Integration in 3D Space Near the Body.

Multisensory research·2025
Same author

Can visual acceleration evoke a sensation of tilt?

Experimental brain research·2025

Humans can perceive simultaneous sound and light accurately, even with varying travel and processing times. This study demonstrates a remarkable "simultaneity constancy" that compensates for predictable timing differences.

Area of Science:

  • Psychophysics
  • Auditory and Visual Perception
  • Sensory Neuroscience

Background:

  • Sound and light exhibit differential transmission, transduction, and cortical processing times.
  • Factors like stimulus intensity and retinal eccentricity influence sensory processing durations.
  • Understanding simultaneity perception is crucial for explaining sensory integration.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the human capability to perceive simultaneity accurately despite variations in sensory processing times.
  • To determine if predictable variations in auditory and visual stimulus timing are compensated for during simultaneity judgments.

Main Methods:

  • Employed the method of constant stimuli with seven subjects judging the order of sound/light pairs.
  • Introduced temporal asynchronies up to 200 ms between auditory and visual stimuli.

More Related Videos

Bouncing Ball with a Uniformly Varying Velocity in a Metronome Synchronization Task
05:04

Bouncing Ball with a Uniformly Varying Velocity in a Metronome Synchronization Task

Published on: September 21, 2017

6.3K
Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
09:13

Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Published on: April 22, 2015

16.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 16, 2025

A Two-interval Forced-choice Task for Multisensory Comparisons
07:13

A Two-interval Forced-choice Task for Multisensory Comparisons

Published on: November 9, 2018

11.3K
Bouncing Ball with a Uniformly Varying Velocity in a Metronome Synchronization Task
05:04

Bouncing Ball with a Uniformly Varying Velocity in a Metronome Synchronization Task

Published on: September 21, 2017

6.3K
Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
09:13

Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Published on: April 22, 2015

16.9K
  • Varied stimulus distance (1-32 m), visual intensity (attenuating glasses), and retinal eccentricity (central vs. 20 degrees).

    • Main Results:

    • Subjects demonstrated accurate simultaneity perception, compensating for significant, predictable differences in reaction times.
    • Judged simultaneity consistently aligned with the moment light and sound stimuli departed from the source.
    • Compensation for timing variations was observed across all tested conditions, including distance, intensity, and eccentricity.

    Conclusions:

    • The human sensory system exhibits 'simultaneity constancy', effectively compensating for predictable variations in auditory and visual stimulus timing.
    • This compensatory mechanism allows for accurate perception of simultaneous events despite differing physical and physiological processing delays.
    • Findings highlight the brain's sophisticated ability to integrate multisensory information by accounting for stimulus-dependent temporal discrepancies.