Age-related changes in auditory and visual interactions in temporal rate perception

Abstract

We investigated how aging affects the integration of temporal rate for auditory flutter (amplitude modulation) presented with visual flicker. Since older adults were poorer at detecting auditory amplitude modulation, modulation depth was individually adjusted so that temporal rate was equally discriminable for 10 Hz flutter and flicker, thereby balancing the reliability of rate information available to each sensory modality. With age-related sensory differences normalized in this way, rate asynchrony skewed both auditory and visual rate judgments to the same extent in younger and older adults. Therefore, reliability-based weighting of temporal rate is preserved in older adults. Concurrent presentation of synchronous 10 Hz flicker and flutter improved temporal rate discrimination consistent with statistically optimal integration in younger but not older adults. In a control experiment, younger adults were presented with the same physical auditory stimulus as older adults. This time, rate asynchrony skewed perceived rate with greater auditory weighting rather than balanced integration. Taken together, our results indicate that integration of discrepant auditory and visual rates is not altered due to the healthy aging process once sensory deficits are accounted for, but that aging does abolish the minor improvement in discrimination performance seen in younger observers when concordant rates are integrated.

Audiovisual Temporal Perception in Aging: The Role of Multisensory Integration and Age-Related Sensory Loss

“…Partial integration of non-identical auditory and visual temporal rates distorts perceived rate such that the auditory or visual rate subjectively equivalent to a reference is non-veridical ( Roach et al, 2006 ). This effect is equivalent in younger and older adults ( Brooks et al, 2015 ). However, integration of identical auditory and visual temporal rates improves temporal rate discrimination in a statistically optimal fashion in younger ( Koene et al, 2007 ; Brooks et al, 2015 ) but not older adults, who fail to show the √ 2 improvement predicted by maximum likelihood estimation ( Brooks et al, 2015 ).…”

“…For example, older age impairs visual duration judgments more than auditory ones ( Lustig and Meck, 2011 ). In contrast, auditory but not visual temporal rate discriminability is poorer in older adults ( Brooks et al, 2015 ). Consequently, for a given audiovisual task, auditory and visual cues are not expected to be equally degraded by age-related sensory changes.…”

“…Conversely, integration of incongruent cues achieves a coherent percept at the cost of veridical perception and so greater integration could hinder everyday function in older adults. Interestingly, review of the literature specifically concerning the integration of temporal information indicates varied age-related effects, with reports of unaltered (e.g., Sommers et al, 2005 ; McGovern et al, 2014 ; Brooks et al, 2015 ) and decreased integration in older adults (e.g., Tye-Murray et al, 2011 ; Roudaia et al, 2013 ; Brooks et al, 2015 ). The perceptual change induced by integration depends on unisensory reliability (the precision of a sensory estimate of a property, as given by the inverse of its variance) and the brain’s tendency to integrate auditory and visual cues ( Ernst and Bülthoff, 2004 ; Odegaard and Shams, 2016 ).…”

Cognitive Aspect of Learning Style in Differentiated Esp Instruction for the Future It Specialists

“…As a person grows older, there is an increase in the ability to transfer information from one modality to another" (Barbe & Milone, 1982, p. 3). The investigation of Brooks, Anderson, Roach, McGraw, & McKendrick (2015) devoted to aging affects in auditory and visual interactions, has shown the auditory modality dominance in younger adults (22-23 years old) and equalising auditory and visual influence in older adults (60-74 years old). We have also to take into consideration the following facts: 1) young generation grows up in the age of increasing amount of information and the rapid computerisation that needs person's quick perceiving, processing, applying data; 2) the requirements to the IT specialists are not limited to work on the computer but requires the ability to work in a team, to communicate with clients, etc.…”

Kesan Penuaan ke atas Kehubungan Berkesan Otak semasa Pemprosesan Persepsi Pertuturan daripada Perspektif Pemodelan Sebab dan Akibat Dinamik: Satu Kajian fMRI

“…Selain daripada perubahan dan kemerosotan pada sistem kognitif seperti pemprosesan persepsi pertuturan, penuaan juga menyebabkan kebolehan untuk mendengar dalam hingar atau dalam persekitaran yang bising turut menjadi sukar (Alain et al 2014;Molander & Backman 1990). Ini diandaikan disebabkan oleh kemerosoton pada sistem pemprosesan penumpuan dan pemprosesan auditori (Babkoff & Fostick 2017;Brooks et al 2015). Dengan kehadiran hingar, keupayaan penumpuan yang lebih tinggi diperlukan dalam memberi tumpuan kepada stimulus utama atau dalam mendiskriminasi antara pertuturan dan hingar latar.…”