Temporal ventriloquism: sound modulates the flash-lag effect.
A sound presented in close temporal proximity to a visual stimulus can alter the perceived temporal dimensions of the visual stimulus (temporal ventriloquism). In this article, the authors demonstrate temporal ventriloquism in the flash-lag effect (FLE), a visual illusion in which a flash appears to lag relative to a moving object. In Experiment 1, the magnitude and the variability of the FLE were reduced, relative to a silent condition, when a noise burst was synchronized with the flash. In Experiment 2, the sound was presented before, at, or after the flash (+/- approximately 100 ms), and the size of the FLE varied linearly with the delay of the sound. These findings demonstrate that an isolated sound can sharpen the temporal boundaries of a flash and attract its temporal occurrence.
Vroomen
Jean
J
Department of Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands. j.vroomen@uvt.nl
de Gelder
Beatrice
B
Vroomen
Jean
J
D001307:Auditory Perception; D006801:Humans; D009039:Motion Perception; D013016:Sound; D013998:Time Perception; D014796:Visual Perception