Takebayashi Hikari, Wada Yuji
Ritsumeikan-Global Innovation Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University, Noji-Higashi 1-1-1, Kusatsu-shi, Shiga, 525-8577, Japan.
College of Gastronomy Management, Ritsumeikan University, Noji-Higashi 1-1-1, Kusatsu-shi, Shiga, 525-8577, Japan.
Cogn Process. 2025 Aug 22. doi: 10.1007/s10339-025-01296-3.
Audiovisual integration occurs automatically and affects visual processing. This study aims to investigate whether temporally synchronized auditory signals enhance monocular signals during binocular observation. In Experiment 1, 16 participants performed a visual target localization task. A mirror stereoscope was used to present a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) stream of distractors to both eyes, with a visual target inserted in either both eyes, the dominant eye, or the non-dominant eye. Continuous low tones synchronized with distractors were paired with the target as either the same low tone (non-salience) or a high tone (salience). Detection facilitation rates by tone type were analyzed through multiple comparisons. Results showed a significant detection enhancement only when the target appeared in the non-dominant eye. In Experiment 2, involving 16 participants, a similar RSVP was presented, but with an orientation discrimination task for parafoveally presented texture stimuli comprising 17 vertical Gabor patches. The angle and proportion of tilted patches were manipulated simultaneously, and logistic regression was used to estimate orientation discrimination thresholds. Contrary to predictions, salient tones did not reduce the thresholds. These findings suggest that temporally synchronized auditory signals can selectively enhance the monocular processing of weaker visual signals (i.e., non-dominant eye signals) before binocular fusion, particularly for spatial localization. However, these effects did not extend to the identification of visual content (i.e., orientation) or stable visual signals (i.e., dominant or binocular). The results highlight the role of audiovisual integration in supporting unstable monocular signals and suggest potential applications in low vision training.
视听整合会自动发生并影响视觉处理。本研究旨在探究在双眼观察期间，时间同步的听觉信号是否会增强单眼信号。在实验1中，16名参与者执行了视觉目标定位任务。使用镜面立体镜向双眼呈现快速序列视觉呈现（RSVP）的干扰物流，并将视觉目标插入双眼、优势眼或非优势眼中。与干扰物同步的连续低音调与目标配对，要么是相同的低音调（不突出），要么是高音调（突出）。通过多重比较分析了按音调类型划分的检测促进率。结果表明，只有当目标出现在非优势眼中时，检测才有显著增强。在实验2中，16名参与者参与，呈现了类似的RSVP，但对包含17个垂直Gabor斑块的中央凹旁呈现的纹理刺激进行了方向辨别任务。同时操纵倾斜斑块的角度和比例，并使用逻辑回归来估计方向辨别阈值。与预测相反，突出音调并未降低阈值。这些发现表明，时间同步的听觉信号可以在双眼融合之前选择性地增强较弱视觉信号（即非优势眼信号）的单眼处理，特别是对于空间定位。然而，这些效应并未扩展到视觉内容的识别（即方向）或稳定的视觉信号（即优势眼或双眼）。结果突出了视听整合在支持不稳定单眼信号方面的作用，并暗示了在低视力训练中的潜在应用。
