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A Method to Study Adaptation to Left-Right Reversed Audition
Published on: October 29, 2018
Misperception of exocentric directions in auditory space
Joeanna C Arthur1, John W Philbeck, Jesse Sargent
1Department of Psychology, The George Washington University, 2125 G. Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA. jarthur@gwu.edu
Acta Psychologica
|June 17, 2008
Summary
Perception of exocentric directions shows similar large errors in both auditory and visual space. Pointing responses undershot targets, while verbal reports were more accurate, suggesting differences in reference frames.
Area of Science:
- Auditory perception
- Visual perception
- Spatial cognition
Background:
- Previous research identified significant errors in visually perceived exocentric directions.
- Exocentric direction refers to the spatial relationship between two external objects, independent of the observer.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if similar exocentric direction perception errors occur in auditory space.
- To compare pointing and verbal judgments for both auditory and visual targets.
Main Methods:
- Blindfolded participants performed exocentric pointing and egocentric verbal estimation tasks for auditory and visual targets.
- Targets were presented in the right hemispace at various azimuth angles (20-160 degrees).
Main Results:
- Exocentric pointing responses showed significant undershooting errors in both auditory and visual space, increasing with azimuth.
- Verbal estimates of target azimuths exhibited smaller overestimations, particularly for rear hemispace targets.
- Adjusting the pointing task's frame of reference reduced pointing errors, making them resemble verbal report patterns.
Conclusions:
- Distortions in exocentric direction perception are comparable across auditory and visual sensory modalities.
- Differences in pointing and verbal responses may stem from distinct underlying frames of reference.
- Spatial perception accuracy is influenced by the response modality and the frame of reference used.
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