Precise force controls enhance loudness discrimination of self-generated sound

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Auditory Perception
• Motor Control

Background:

• Motor execution is known to influence sensory processing.
• Loudness perception is altered by sounds generated during active movement.
• The precise mechanisms and task-dependency of motor-related loudness perception changes remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how varying precision demands in motor control affect loudness perception.
• To determine if task-specific force generation modulates auditory discrimination.

Main Methods:

• A loudness discrimination test was conducted, coupling sound stimuli with a force generation task.
• Participants performed force generation to match visual targets, with sound produced concurrently.
• A control condition involved externally generated sound stimuli without a motor task.

Main Results:

• Auditory discrimination performance significantly improved when sound was self-generated via force production compared to external generation.
• This improvement in discrimination was not significantly affected by different target force amplitude levels.
• The results indicate a facilitatory effect of motor execution on auditory processes.

Conclusions:

• Precise motor control, specifically the demand for accurate force production, appears crucial for the observed enhancement in auditory perception.
• Motor-induced auditory processing benefits may be linked to the cognitive demands of precise motor execution rather than the magnitude of force itself.