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Footstep sounds influence bistable biological motion perception.
Qinyue Qian1, Xiaolan Wei1, Tianyang Zhang2
1Department of Psychology, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Attention, Perception & Psychophysics
|March 23, 2026
Summary
Footstep sounds influence how we perceive biological motion depth. This multisensory interaction speeds up processing and aligns visual perception with auditory cues, impacting decision-making.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Auditory Perception
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Biological motion in depth is bistable, influenced by multisensory cues like sound.
- Previous research lacked control for visual bias and explored limited computational models.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate how footstep sounds affect bistable biological motion perception.
- Explore the cognitive mechanisms using computational modeling.
Main Methods:
- Combined psychophysical methods with the hierarchical drift-diffusion model (HDDM).
- 24 participants evaluated biological motion under different sound conditions (looming, constant, receding, no sound).
Main Results:
- More "facing the viewer" responses occurred with looming and constant sounds.
- Reaction times were slower without sound compared to sound conditions.
- HDDM analysis showed sound shortened nondecision time and modulated drift rate.
Conclusions:
- Footstep sounds accelerate bistable biological motion processing.
- Auditory directionality influences visual perception alignment.
- Multisensory interaction modulates nondecision processing and evidence accumulation.
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