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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 13, 2026

Motion-Acuity Test for Visual Field Acuity Measurement with Motion-Defined Shapes

Motion-Acuity Test for Visual Field Acuity Measurement with Motion-Defined Shapes

Published on: February 23, 2024

Sound speeds vision through preparation, not integration.

Sander A Los¹, Erik Van der Burg

¹Department of Cognitive Psychology.

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance

|March 13, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

A task-irrelevant tone speeds up visual reaction time (RT) by acting as a warning signal. This effect is due to temporal preparation, not multisensory integration, as the benefit disappears when preparation times are equated.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience
Human Factors

Background:

In choice reaction time (RT) tasks, auditory stimuli often facilitate responses to visual targets.
This intersensory facilitation is commonly attributed to multisensory integration.
However, an alternative explanation suggests temporal preparation plays a key role.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether intersensory facilitation in RT tasks arises from multisensory integration or temporal preparation.
To differentiate between these two potential mechanisms by manipulating stimulus timing and modality.

Main Methods:

Participants performed manual choice reaction time tasks.
A task-irrelevant warning signal (S1) was presented, followed by a visual target stimulus (S2).
The delay between S1 and S2, and the modality of S1 (auditory or visual), were systematically varied.

Main Results:

Responses to the visual target (S2) were faster when the warning signal (S1) was auditory compared to visual, especially at brief delays.
This intersensory facilitation effect diminished significantly when the data were corrected for differences in S1 detection times.
Equating the effective preparation period eliminated the facilitation, suggesting preparation is the primary driver.

Conclusions:

The observed facilitation of visual reaction time by an auditory cue is primarily driven by temporal preparation, not multisensory integration.
The faster processing of the auditory warning signal allows for earlier preparation for the visual target.
This finding highlights the importance of temporal dynamics in multisensory processing and attention.