title: Defining Auditory-Visual Objects: Behavioral Tests and Physiological Mechanisms.
abstract: Crossmodal integration is a term applicable to many phenomena in which one sensory modality influences task performance or perception in another sensory modality. We distinguish the term binding as one that should be reserved specifically for the process that underpins perceptual object formation. To unambiguously differentiate binding form other types of integration, behavioral and neural studies must investigate perception of a feature orthogonal to the features that link the auditory and visual stimuli. We argue that supporting true perceptual binding (as opposed to other processes such as decision-making) is one role for cross-sensory influences in early sensory cortex. These early multisensory interactions may therefore form a physiological substrate for the bottom-up grouping of auditory and visual stimuli into auditory-visual (AV) objects.
authors.affiliation: University College London (UCL) Ear Institute, 332 Gray's Inn Road, London, WC1X 8EE, UK. Electronic address: j.bizley@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Jennifer K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Bizley
authors.affiliation: Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, 1715 NE Columbia Road, Portage Bay Building, Box 357988, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
authors.forename: Ross K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Maddox
authors.affiliation: Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, 1715 NE Columbia Road, Portage Bay Building, Box 357988, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, 1417 NE 42nd Street, Eagleson Hall, Box 354875, Seattle, WA 98105, USA. Electronic address: akclee@uw.edu.
authors.forename: Adrian K C
authors.initials: AKC
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D000067290:Behavior Rating Scale; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: auditory cortex; binding; crossmodal; multisensory; neurophysiology; psychophysics