Visual-auditory differences in duration discrimination depend on modality-specific, sensory-automatic temporal processing: Converging evidence for the validity of the Sensory-Automatic Timing Hypothesis

Rammsayer, Thomas; Pichelmann, Stefan

doi:10.1177/1747021817741611

Cited by 16 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 100 publications

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“…The present Weber Fractions are considerably better than those (between 15 and 30%, with high between-participant variability) reported for the discrimination of different gravity levels (between 0.7 g and 1.3 g) for virtual spheres approaching frontally on parabolic trajectories viewed stereoscopically 37 . They are also better than those (> 20%) reported for speed change discrimination of motion in depth 28 , or those (> 17%) reported for duration discrimination of static stimuli with the same duration (1 s) as the present reference stimuli 38 , 39 .…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 63%

Perceptual judgments of duration of parabolic motions

Jörges

Scaleia

López‐Moliner

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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In a 2-alternative forced-choice protocol, observers judged the duration of ball motions shown on an immersive virtual-reality display as approaching in the sagittal plane along parabolic trajectories compatible with Earth gravity effects. In different trials, the ball shifted along the parabolas with one of three different laws of motion: constant tangential velocity, constant vertical velocity, or gravitational acceleration. Only the latter motion was fully consistent with Newton’s laws in the Earth gravitational field, whereas the motions with constant velocity profiles obeyed the spatio-temporal constraint of parabolic paths dictated by gravity but violated the kinematic constraints. We found that the discrimination of duration was accurate and precise for all types of motions, but the discrimination for the trajectories at constant tangential velocity was slightly but significantly more precise than that for the trajectories at gravitational acceleration or constant vertical velocity. The results are compatible with a heuristic internal representation of gravity effects that can be engaged when viewing projectiles shifting along parabolic paths compatible with Earth gravity, irrespective of the specific kinematics. Opportunistic use of a moving frame attached to the target may favour visual tracking of targets with constant tangential velocity, accounting for the slightly superior duration discrimination.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 63%

Perceptual judgments of duration of parabolic motions

Jörges

Scaleia

López‐Moliner

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…These performance benefits were observed in both audition and vision as the first modality, consistent with previous studies using the same paradigm (Kang:2018ee;Kang et al, 2017;Gold et al, 2014;Bale et al, 2017), and regarded as an index of learning for RefRP. A qualitatively similar performance improvement in both modalities was achieved by controlling presented temporal patterns at a low pulse rate with a fixed minimum interval (Rammsayer et al, 2015;Rammsayer and Pichelmann, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Memory Transfer of Random Time Patterns Across Modalities

Auksztulewicz

Chan

Cappotto

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Perception is sensitive to statistical regularities in the environment, including temporal characteristics of sensory inputs. Interestingly, temporal patterns implicitly learned within one modality can also be recognised in another modality. However, it is unclear how cross-modal learning transfer affects neural responses to sensory stimuli. Here, we recorded neural activity of human volunteers (N=24, 12 females, 12 males) using electroencephalography (EEG), while participants were exposed to brief sequences of randomly-timed auditory or visual pulses. Some trials consisted of a repetition of the temporal pattern within the sequence, and subjects were tasked with detecting these trials. Unknown to the participants, some trials reappeared throughout the experiment, inducing implicit learning. Replicating previous behavioural findings, we showed that participants benefit from temporal information learned in one modality, and that they can apply this information to stimuli presented in another modality. Furthermore, using an analysis of EEG response learning curves, we showed that learning temporal structures within modalities modulates single-trial EEG response amplitudes, and that these effects could be localised to modality-specific cortical regions. Furthermore, learning transfer across modalities was associated with modulations of single-trial EEG response amplitudes, as well as beta-band power in the right inferior frontal gyrus. The neural effects of learning transfer were similar both when temporal information learned in audition was transferred to visual stimuli and vice versa. Thus, both modality-specific mechanisms for learning of temporal information, and general mechanisms which mediate learning transfer across modalities, have distinct physiological signatures that are observable in the EEG.Significance statementTemporal patterns governing sensory stimuli can be extracted and used to optimise perceptual processing. However, it is unclear what brain mechanisms mediate the learning of temporal information within a sensory modality, and how the effects of learning can be applied to another modality. Here, we presented auditory and visual stimuli to human participants while recording their brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG). We observed behavioural benefits and neural signatures of subconscious temporal pattern learning within a sensory modality, as well as transfer of patterns from one modality to another (audition to vision and vice versa). Interestingly, the neural correlates of temporal learning within modalities relied on modality-specific brain regions, while learning transfer affected activity in frontal regions, suggesting distinct mechanisms.

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“…Measure-level information in music occurs at a slower timescale (hundreds-of-milliseconds-to-seconds range) than the beat-level timescale (few hundreds of milliseconds). There is increasing evidence that temporal processing in the tens to hundreds of milliseconds range may occur in sensory-specific areas, while longer timing windows from the hundreds to thousands of milliseconds may occur in a modality-general or sensory-overlapping timing system (such as secondary auditory cortex) with input from sensoryspecific areas (Buhusi & Meck, 2005;Ivry & Schlerf, 2008;Karmakar & Buonomano, 2007;Lewis & Miall, 2003;Merchant, Zarco, & Prado, 2008;Nani et al, 2019;Paton & Buonomano, 2018;Rammsayer & Pichelmann, 2018;Stauffer, Haldemann, Troche, & Rammsayer, 2012;van Wassenhove, 2009). Motor areas of the brain, including the supplementary motor area (SMA), pre-SMA, premotor cortex, and basal ganglia, are consistently implicated in beat perception and sensorimotor synchronization tasks (Chapin et al, 2010;Chen, Penhune, & Zatorre, 2008;Grahn & Brett, 2007;Grahn & Rowe, 2009; for both auditory and visual stimuli.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Auditory Superiority for Perceiving the Beat Level but not the Measure Level in Music

Nave-Blodgett¹,

Snyder²,

Hannon³

2020

Preprint

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Auditory perception of time is superior to visual perception, both for simple intervals and beat-based musical rhythms. To what extent does this auditory advantage characterize perception of different hierarchical levels of musical meter, and how is it related to lifelong experience with music? We paired musical excerpts with auditory and visual metronomes that matched or mismatched the musical meter at the beat (faster) and measure (slower) levels and obtained fit ratings from adults and children (5-10 years). Adults exhibited an auditory advantage in this task for the beat level, but not for the measure level. Children also displayed an auditory advantage for the beat level, their sensitivity to beat in both modalities increased with age, and they were not sensitive to measure-level matching in either modality. More musical training was related to enhanced sensitivity in both auditory and visual modalities for measure-level matching in adults and beat-level matching in children. These findings provide evidence for auditory superiority of beat perception across development, and they suggest that beat and meter perception develop quite gradually and rely on lifelong acquisition of musical knowledge.

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Visual-auditory differences in duration discrimination depend on modality-specific, sensory-automatic temporal processing: Converging evidence for the validity of the Sensory-Automatic Timing Hypothesis

Cited by 16 publications

References 100 publications

Perceptual judgments of duration of parabolic motions

Perceptual judgments of duration of parabolic motions

Memory Transfer of Random Time Patterns Across Modalities

Auditory Superiority for Perceiving the Beat Level but not the Measure Level in Music

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