Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 15, 2025

Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control
Published on: September 11, 2019
Spatial Position Modulates the Benefits of Auditory Inputs for Postural Control
Daniel Paromov1,2, Maxime Maheu1, Benoit-Antoine Bacon3
1École d'orthophonie et d'audiologie, Faculté de médecine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Objectives:
The study aimed to examine the contribution of the position of a sound source to static postural control. The authors hypothesized that in line with the auditory anchorage theory, more benefits would be observed when sounds are positioned in easy-to-localize locations.
Design:
A force plate was used to measure sway area, sway velocity, and standard deviation in 23 participants. Auditory stimuli were presented at various azimuth angles (0°, 45°, 90°), and their effects were compared with a silent baseline condition without any added auditory input.
Results:
The present results revealed a significant improvement in sway parameters when auditory inputs were added. However, in contrast to the 0° and 45° locations, the 90° location did not affect sway area and SD when compared with the condition without auditory input. Improvement was observed across all the locations of the auditory inputs for sway velocity.
Conclusion:
These findings support the auditory anchorage theory, suggesting that auditory objects positioned in areas that are easy to localize contribute more effectively to postural stabilization.
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