Perceived timing of vestibular stimulation relative to touch, light and sound.
Different senses have different processing times. Here we measured the perceived timing of galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) relative to tactile, visual and auditory stimuli. Simple reaction times for perceived head movement (438 +/- 49 ms) were significantly longer than to touches (245 +/- 14 ms), lights (220 +/- 13 ms), or sounds (197 +/- 13 ms). Temporal order and simultaneity judgments both indicated that GVS had to occur about 160 ms before other stimuli to be perceived as simultaneous with them. This lead was significantly less than the relative timing predicted by reaction time differences compatible with an incomplete tendency to compensate for differences in processing times.
Barnett-Cowan
Michael
M
Department of Psychology, Multisensory Integration Laboratory, Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada. mikebc@yorku.ca
Harris
Laurence R
LR
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005260:Female; D019416:Head Movements; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D011434:Proprioception; D011601:Psychophysics; D011930:Reaction Time; D013997:Time Factors; D013998:Time Perception; D055698:Touch Perception; D014796:Visual Perception; D055815:Young Adult