Localization of moving sound

The final position of a moving sound source usually appears to be displaced in the direction of motion. We tested the hypothesis that this phenomenon, termed auditory representational momentum, is already emerging during, not merely after, the period of motion. For this purpose, we investigated the localization of a moving sound at different points in time. In a dark anechoic environment, an acoustic target moved along the frontal horizontal plane. In the initial, middle, or final phase of the motion trajectory, subjects received a tactile stimulus and determined the current position of the moving target at the moment of the stimulus by performing either relative-judgment or pointing tasks. Generally, in the initial phase of the auditory motion, the position was perceived to be displaced in the direction of motion, but this forward displacement disappeared in the further course of the motion. When the motion stimulus had ceased, however, its final position was again shifted in the direction of motion. The latter result suggests that representational momentum in spatial hearing is a phenomenon specific to the final point of motion. Mental extrapolation of past trajectory information is discussed as a potential source of this perceptual displacement.