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Published on: May 23, 2019
Flash illusions induced by visual, auditory, and audiovisual stimuli
Deborah Apthorp1, David Alais, Lars T Boenke
1Research School of Psychology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. deborah.apthorp@anu.edu.au
Journal of Vision
|April 3, 2013
Summary
The visual double-flash illusion and auditory-induced effects may arise from perceptual uncertainty. Differences in their timing suggest vision has lower temporal resolution than audition.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Perception
Background:
- The visual double-flash illusion occurs when two peripherally flashed objects create an illusion of a single flash appearing twice.
- The auditory-induced flash illusion shares similarities with the visual effect.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the time course of the visual double-flash illusion.
- Compare the visual illusion's time course with the auditory-induced effect.
- Examine audiovisual cue integration and reliability.
Main Methods:
- Compared fission and fusion conditions for visual and auditory inducers across stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs) from 30 to 250 ms.
- Utilized novel audiovisual stimuli to compare cue strength and additivity.
- Assessed observer reliance on auditory versus visual cues under uncertainty.
Main Results:
- The time course of fission and fusion differed for visual inducers but not auditory inducers.
- In audiovisual conditions, observers favored the more reliable auditory cue when uncertain.
- Little evidence for additive effects; observers tended to follow one modality.
Conclusions:
- Both visual and auditory illusions may stem from perceptual uncertainty.
- Differences in timing are likely due to vision's lower temporal resolution compared to audition.
- Auditory cues may dominate visual cues in audiovisual settings due to higher reliability.
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